The Vault of Souls
by Bookworm0913
Summary: Things are about to change for the Sailor Scouts. First a Serena moved to America. Then a strange boy showed up wearing a familiar green jacket. Now there are new scouts and guys in tuxedos running around. Sequel to Hearts of Le Lune
1. Things Change

**Disclaimer:** I do NOT own Sailor Moon or any of the canon characters. Derek, Drake, and the others are my creation, however.

**Author's Note:** This is set during the Sailor Moon R break-up, when Darien is having the nightmares and breaks up with Serena. However, I have decided to make Rini a little older. She's now about ten years old, instead of four, just because of the plot line. Also, the other scouts are older, as everyone is now in high school except Hotaru. But, hey, this is AU. Also, when I refer to the five divisions of Terra, I refer to them by their direction from Elysian, thus North and South America, being to the East of Elysian are the Eastern Division, Africa and the Middle East are the Western Division. Europe, Russia, Greenland, and Iceland are all the Northern Division, while Australia, Antarctica, and the Pacific Islands are the Southern Division. The rest of Asia would be Elysian.

Chapter One: Things Change

Serena burst through the front door of the house, tears pouring down her face. She barely managed to kick off her shoes before tearing up the stairs and throwing herself on her bed, sobbing.

Irene Tsukino entered her daughter's room and sat down beside her, stroking the golden bangs away from Serena's forehead.

"What's wrong, Serena?"

"Darien…Darien broke up with me!" The blonde girl wailed.

"I suppose," her mother began. She paused and then continued, "I suppose it might be for the best."

Serena looked up at her with tear-filled eyes. "What do you mean?"

"Serena, we are moving to America in the morning. We've been debating about the best way to tell you, Sammy, and Rini for weeks."

"We're leaving? But I can't leave! Can't I stay here with one of my friends?"

"I'm afraid not. We're going to Le Lune, in California. You'll be near your favorite cousin again."

"What about Rini?"

"She'll be coming, too," her mother assured her.

"We've already transferred your records to your new school. We just need to finish packing," commented Ken Tsukino, stepping into the doorway. "There are boxes outside your door."

"I'm sorry, Serena," her mother added, solemnly, standing up and walking out of the room.

As her parents walked away, Rini came bouncing into the room, a wide smile across her face.

"Serena, are you alright?" she asked, noticing the tears still streaming down the blonde's face.

She shook her head, "We're moving to America, and Darien broke up with me!"

The tears grew stronger as Serena wailed.

Rini crossed her arms and stared down at the weeping blonde.

"When are we moving and to where?" the pink haired girl asked.

"Tomorrow morning, to Le Lune," answered Sammy, poking his head in. "I won't get a chance to tell Mika good-bye."

"Le Lune, isn't that where your cousins on your mom's side of the family live?" Rini demanded.

Sammy nodded, "All three of them."

"Serena, Sammy, Rini, you all need to get packing!" Serena's father yelled up the stairs at them.

Groaning, Sammy turned and grabbed a stack of cardboard boxes out of the hallway.

"They won't miss me anyway," stated Serena, wiping away the last of her tears. "Raye won't be able to pick on me, anymore, and Darien can feel free to find someone better than me."

Rini frowned, "What about Amy, Mina, Lita, Molly, and Melvin? They're your friends, too, Serena."

Serena shrugged, "Amy will have more time for studying, now that she won't have to tutor me. It's so long, crybaby Serena Tsukino."

She walked over and grabbed a stack of boxes. Suddenly, Luna P jumped up in the air.

"Luna P, kitty magic!" yelled Rini.

Serena's clothes and other possessions were sucked into a large vacuum that was once the floating cat head known as Luna P. Everything was emptied neatly into the cardboard boxes and two pink duffle bags that rested beside the closet. The only things left untouched were the pajamas and sheets still on Serena's bed.

"There's also still one change of clothes for tomorrow in the closet," stated Rini, looking around the now almost empty room.

Serena nodded, "It feels so much larger, now."

She knelt back down beside the bed and once more burst into tears.

* * *

"Flight 257 from Los Angeles now arriving." The announcement echoed around the almost empty airport.

Seven people waited near the large glass window, three blondes, one brunette, one silver-haired, one with dark grey hair, and one with aquamarine hair. The shortest of the blondes, a sixteen year old boy, glanced up from his copy of a high school biology textbook. He frowned at the slightly taller blonde woman.

"Relax, Amara. Everything's going to be fine," he assured her.

The eighteen year old only curled her lip in a snarl. The aquamarine haired woman looked up at her from the sheet music she was trying to read and gave the blonde woman a faint smile.

"Zack, you know she's not going to listen right now."

Another blonde sixteen year old boy, only slightly taller than Zack, reclined in a near-by chair. With his right hand, he juggled three small rubber balls, painted to look like they were made of fire. His blue eyes sparkled with merriment as he considered launching one of the balls towards the three other members of their group.

"Don't even think about it," remarked the tall, brunette man remarked. "You hit one of us, and I will personally burn your supper."

The blonde haired boy gulped and nodded.

"Try to relax a little, yourself, Nate," stated the grey-haired man. He shrugged into his black leather jacket and straightened the pewter skull he wore on a thick chain around his neck. "He still hasn't finished growing up. Everything alright over there, Mal?"

The tall, silver-haired man stared out the window, a small black camera in his hands. Grey eyes narrowed as he spotted the plane.

"They're here, Amara. Relax. It's just Aunt Irene and her family," he stated, shifting his camera to tuck it back into the black bag he carried over his shoulder.

Amara turned and growled at him. "I know that, Mal. It's the Meatball Head I'm worried about. I'm just hoping Le Lune will give her a fresh start, where she doesn't have to hide."

"Everything will be alright, little sister," Mal assured her. "Jason, put your juggling away, and Zack, pull your nose out of that book."

"Gees, Mal." Jason sighed, dropping the three rubber balls into a small black bag. "You'd think you were sixty, the way you act, instead of the twenty you actually are."

"At least it's better than acting like he's stuck at the age of six," observed Nate, pulling up the collar of his brown trench coat.

Amara managed a slight smile as she walked out onto the tarmac, followed by the aquamarine haired eighteen year old woman.

"Are you sure it's alright that I'm here, Amara?" she asked.

"Of course it's alright, Michelle." Amara grinned. "You're as much a part of the family as Drake or Nate."

She dropped an arm around Michelle's waist and led her toward the plane. Five people stepped out of the plane, loaded down with various bags.

"Welcome to California," yelled Amara, waving with her free hand.

The dark haired man and the blue haired woman smiled, wearily. The blonde ten year old boy happily jumped down the metal steps, making them clatter with each jump.

"Weren't there only supposed to be four people?" Jason muttered. "Who's the cupcake hair?"

Zack's eyes narrowed as he glared over at Jason. "Pay attention, cousin. That's Rini. She's a distant cousin on Uncle Ken's side of the family. And don't call her cupcake hair. Got it?"

He nodded, before heading towards the Tsukino family.

"Hi, I'm Jason Specter, Mal and Zack's cousin on their mother's side of the family," he stated, taking the heavy blue duffle bag Irene carried, as well as the plastic shopping bag she held.

Ken grinned. "You're Adam's son, then?"

Jason nodded, his own smile widening.

"Amara! It's so good to see you!"

Serena dropped her own duffle and shopping bag to run over and throw her arms around her favorite cousin.

"Hey, Meatball Head. It's been far too long," Amara replied. "May I introduce my girlfriend, Michelle Kaioh?"

Serena smiled. "Hi, Michelle. I'm Serena Tsukino, but you probably already knew that."

Michelle returned the smile. "I'm pleased to meet you at last, Serena."

"And you know my half brothers, Mal and Zack," continued Amara. "The two standing behind Mal are his two best friends and our fellow housemates. The brown-haired one is Nathan Zenith and the grey-haired one with the depressing wardrobe is Drake Miller."

"Hi, I'm Sammy," piped up the small boy, struggling to lift his own duffle.

Nathan grinned and took the bag from the boy. "What did you pack in here? Rocks?"

Sammy shook his head, "Nope. Not a single rock."

"And let me introduce you to the newest pain, our distant cousin, Rini," added Serena, motioning to the pink haired little girl.

"I'm not a pain," she muttered, before dipping a slight curtsey, only to be put off balance by the small pink duffle she carried.

She looked up at the seven new faces and something flittered across the back of her mind.

_I know I've seen them before, _she thought, _but where?_

"Here. Allow me, little princess," stated a deep voice. Mal reached down and took the duffle from Rini's small shoulder. "Drake has yours, Sere."

The blonde girl gave a half-hearted smile at the nickname, a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.

"The rest of your stuff should arrive in a couple of days," explained Amara. "We've already got the basics in furniture for you."

"I hope you all like it," added Michelle. "Trista and I had a lot of fun picking everything out."

"And making us carry it all," grumbled Jason.

"Trista?" Irene Tsukino asked.

Drake gave a slight smile. "My girlfriend, Mrs. Tsukino. Unfortunately, she couldn't make it today. She has a night class up at the local college."

Zack finally spoke up, "So, Sere, are you up to resuming our challenges?"

A determined gleam appeared in Serena's eye. "You have no idea."

"Yeah, you don't have to hide here," stated Amara, giving Serena a one-armed hug. "Here, you have a chance to really be yourself. There's no Ace Kaitou hanging around to put you down."

_That doesn't necessarily mean I can really be myself,_ thought Serena. _I can't exactly let everyone know I'm the Moon Princess or Sailor Moon, after all._

* * *

A tall, dark cloaked figure hurried across the grassy fields. Dark copper eyes flashed inside the dark hood as lightning streaked across the sky. The bolt gave him enough light to see his destination.

A small stone building rose out of the middle of the field. In most aspects, it resembled a small mausoleum. There was only one door, made of thick, dark metal. In the stone lentil of the door were engraved the words "For Lunar Earth."

"Finally, I've found it," he cackled, running a gloved finger down the front of the door. "Now, how to open it?"

It was then that he spotted the fifteen shallow depressions that surrounded the door. Inside each cubby was engraved a symbol. On the left side of the door seven cubbies bore the symbols of the planets of Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto. Along the top of the door frame the depressions held the symbol of Venus, the crescent moon of the Moon Kingdom, the small blooming rose of Terran Kingdom, and the winged dragon of the Western Division of the Terran Kingdom. The left held the remaining four symbols, the sphinx of the Northern Division, the phoenix of the Southern Division, the gryphon of the Eastern Division, and a faint skull that looked out at him with its eyeless sockets.

"The mysterious fifth Terran division?" he muttered. "No matter. I will find the way to unseal the Vault of Souls."

With that, he pulled a small orange gem out of his pocket and slid it into the cubby marked with the symbol of Venus. The symbol briefly glowed orange and pulled the gem inside it.

"Excellent. One down, fourteen to go." A thin smirk crossed his face before he disappeared into the night.

* * *

The streets were all deserted. There wasn't even a piece of litter to be picked up by the wind that swept the crystal city. The stars, normally so bright in the clear, unpolluted sky, seemed dimmer as they shone on what seemed to be the only living being in the city. A small boy, only about thirteen years of age, in dark blue jeans, a white t-shirt, and an extremely oversized green jacket ducked into the streets.

Lavender hair curled around the tops of his ears and fell into midnight blue eyes as he ran through the empty streets. He kept looking back over his shoulder, jumping at every movement of shadows, until he found himself at a dead end, just outside the Crown Fruit Parlor.

Turning around, he started moving back up the street when he saw it. At first, the creature appeared human, even if it was a little taller and thinner than normal. That was until he saw the eight spidery legs protruding from the creature's back.

"Nowhere left to run, tasty little morsel," it laughed.

The boy reached into the pocket of his jacket and pulled out a small silver key.

"Time Key, please get me out of here," he shouted, lifting the object to the sky.

A pale purple cloud drifted down from the sky and scooped him into it.

* * *

Darien stood next to Andrew and cast a wary glance at the sky.

"Thought it was supposed to be raining all day," he muttered.

His best friend laughed, "Weather people almost never get it right, anymore."

Suddenly, a swirling lavender cloud appeared directly in front of the arcade.

"What in the world?" Andrew yelped.

Darien couldn't help but be reminded of the pink cloud Rini had arrived in.

A thin young boy with lavender hair tumbled out of the cloud. He slid to a halt in front of Darien's feet.

"Hi," he managed, as soon as he was able to stand up straight.

Darien stared down at him, his gaze suspicious, "And who, exactly, are you?"

"No time to explain," the strange boy replied.

From out of the lavender cloud climbed the spider-human monster.

Darien quickly glanced around. The only people on the entire street were the boy, Andrew, and himself. Andrew appeared frozen in shock. Sighing, the dark haired man reached inside his own green jacket and pulled out a red rose. Closing his eyes, he invoked his transformation. A split second later, Darien was gone and in his place stood the costumed hero known as Tuxedo Mask.

Andrew bit back another yelp as he realized the secret his best friend had been keeping from him.

"Hello, Tuxedo Mask. I'm sure you'll be even tastier than the boy," the creature stated with a grin, licking its thin black lips.

Tuxedo Mask drew back his hand and threw three steel-tipped roses at the creature. One managed to scrape across the creature's face and the others landed, tip first, in one of the spindly extra legs. The leg trembled briefly before collapsing into dust.

"Argh. You'll pay for that, Tuxedo Mask!" A thin web shot out of the creature's hand and collided with Tuxedo Mask, pinning him to the wall of the Fruit Parlor.

"Venus Crescent Beam Smash!"

"Jupiter Supreme Thunder Crash!"

A bright light collided with the creature, turning two more of its legs to dust. It was followed by a crackling bolt of lightning that struck another of its two remaining legs. From a nearby rooftop dropped the orange Sailor Scout known as Sailor Venus and the green Sailor Scout known as Sailor Jupiter.

"Enough!" The creature screamed and shot two more webs, trapping the recently arrived scouts.

"Mars Celestial Fire Surround!" called out another voice, as Sailor Mars dropped down from another rooftop, blasting away the remaining three legs with several fireballs.

"Mercury Shine Aqua Illusion!" Mercury's voice echoed down the street as she emerged from a nearby alley, her blue visor pulled across her eyes.

The wall of water she had summoned crashed into the creature, causing it to scream a final time before it dissolved into dust, a small sapphire rolling off the top of the pile before turning into a black rock. The webs holding Tuxedo Mask, Sailor Venus, and Sailor Jupiter also fell away into piles of grey dust.

"Thank you, very much, Sailor Mercury," remarked the boy, dropping a small bow.

"Darien, what exactly is going on, here?" Andrew demanded. "I think I deserve an explanation from my best friend."

Tuxedo Mask sighed. "Why don't we move inside and sit down to discuss this?"

Andrew nodded and disappeared inside the Fruit Parlor.

"How did Andrew find out you're Darien?" Sailor Jupiter demanded, pulling herself to her feet.

"I was sort-of forced to transform in front of him," explained the masked man, before letting his transformation fade. He turned his gaze to the lavender haired boy. "And I'm not the only one with explaining to do."

The boy bowed his head and walked inside, sliding his silver key back into his jacket pocket.

Sailor Venus sighed, "We might as well come clean to Andrew. Besides, how often do Luna and Artemis sneak in here to use the computer to get information? It will just be easier if Andrew knows the truth."

"He can keep the secret," added Darien. "I trust him. I just wish I had decided to tell him sooner."

Sailors Mars, Mercury, and Jupiter nodded before walking inside as well, followed by Sailor Venus and Darien.

Darien stepped up to the counter and accepted the steaming mug of coffee from his friend.

"The best place to begin is probably with us," stated Sailor Venus.

Andrew looked up as the four scouts released their own transformations and turned back into the fifteen year old girls who were his most frequent customers.

"Mina? Lita? Ray? Amy?" he sputtered. "You are the Sailor Scouts? Then, is Serena Sailor Moon?"

Mina sighed. "We can't tell you that, Andrew. What we can tell you is that all five of us who are scouts, as well as Darien, have an extremely important mission to carry out. We've had it since the Silver Millennium."

"The what?" Andrew inquired. "When was that?"

"The Silver Millennium," repeated the strange boy. "It was a very long time ago. The eight planets of Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto answered to the royal family of the Moon Kingdom. Back then, Earth was known as Terra or the Terran Kingdom, and it was divided into four sub-kingdoms, ruled over by the four generals, who answered directly to the Terran Royal family."

Raye glared at him, "How do you know all that? And, if there were Terran Generals, where are they now?"

"While I don't know where the generals are, now, it's quite simple how I know about the Silver Millennium, Lady Raye. It's part of my history lessons," the boy explained. "My lessons also covered how the four Inner Scouts were the reborn princesses of their respective planets, chosen to protect the reborn Moon Princess. Also, we covered how the Terran Prince was reborn as Darien Shields, or Tuxedo Mask."

The boy lifted his glass of water and downed a large gulp.

Andrew turned to Darien. "You were a prince?"

"In another lifetime that I only barely begin to remember." He shrugged.

Lita stared down at the boy and crossed her arms. "And who are you?"

"I am Prince Derek of Crystal Tokyo," he replied with a smile. "Thirtieth Century Crystal Tokyo. I came here by accident, trying to escape the youma the five of you destroyed a little bit ago."

"That's right!" A small voice came from the direction of the floor.

A tiny grey kitten wound its way past everyone's feet and leapt up onto Derek's shoulder. Pale purple eyes blinked as the kitten pulled his tail up to curl around his paws.

"Stellis, you're okay!" Derek exclaimed.

The kitten nodded, "I'm just fine, Prince Derek."

"Luna, Artemis, its okay to come out now," called Raye.

The black cat emerged from under one of the tables, blinking her reddish brown eyes. She was followed by the blue-eyed white cat. Both bore the crescent moon of the Moon Kingdom on their foreheads.

"So," stated Artemis, "does the name Rini mean anything to you?"

Derek's eyes widened, "Yes, of course I know Rini. She's a pink-haired ball of energy. Is she okay?"

Luna sighed, "I don't know. I haven't seen her all day. Or Serena, either, for that matter."

"They're both missing?" Darien's coffee mug clattered onto the counter.

Mina shook her head, "I got a call from Serena this morning. She and her family moved to America."


	2. And Change Again

**Author's Note:** Thank you to idfcv for being my first, and currently only, reviewer! Well, here it goes, Chapter Two. I have at least three more planned out, and I know there's at least six or seven more past that! So, this is far from done!

**Disclaimer:** I do NOT own Sailor Moon or any of the canon characters. Derek, Drake, and the others are my creation, however.

**Author's Note:** This is set during the Sailor Moon R break-up, when Darien is having the nightmares and breaks up with Serena. When I refer to the five divisions of Terra, I refer to them by their direction from Elysian, thus North and South America, being to the East of Elysian, are the Eastern Division, Africa and the Middle East are the Western Division. Europe, Russia, Greenland, and Iceland are all the Northern Division, while Australia, Antarctica, and the Pacific Islands are the Southern Division. The rest of Asia would be Elysian.

Chapter Two: And Change Again

"Welcome to Tokyo," stated Rini, a large smile crossing her face.

Her curly pink hair bounced in two pigtails as she hurried to the waiting area. Serena trailed slightly behind her. _I'm finally back home_, she thought, lifting her pink duffel onto her shoulder. Michelle walked up next to her, carrying her aquamarine suitcase in both hands.

"Are you sure you don't want the others to know we're here?" Nate demanded, shortening his stride to walk beside them.

She sighed, "Nate, if you really want to contact the girls or Darien, feel free. Just keep me out of it. I'm not ready for them to know I'm back."

"Besides," added Amara, joining them, switching her yellow duffel onto her left shoulder and lifting Michelle's violin case with her right hand, "you, Mal, Trista, and Drake are bound to run into him up at that college you're all attending."

He nodded and shifted his green duffel.

"You guys made it!" Jason shouted.

The blonde young man darted out of the crowd and lifted Serena off her feet.

"Hey, Jason!" She beamed down at him, her blue eyes sparkling brightly. "How was the retreat?"

His grin grew even broader. "It was amazing."

"You ran into Raye, didn't you?" Serena demanded.

He nodded.

"Hey, Jason!" Zack strolled over, his own blue duffel hanging over his shoulder and a textbook in his hand.

Mal followed him, holding onto his own orange duffel bag, as well as Rini's small backpack, with Drake next to him, carrying a black backpack. Hotaru came out, hurrying over to bounce alongside Rini, carrying her own purple book bag. Trista joined them, her own black duffle on her shoulder.

"So, this is Tokyo," muttered Drake, pulling out a pair of sunglasses. "Didn't realize it was so bright."

"Come on." Jason motioned them towards the black van that waited outside. "Wait until you see the house. Everything arrived this morning, so we're all set. Yes, Amara, that includes your car, as well as Mal's car, and Drake's motorcycle."

"We're not too close to town, are we?" Serena demanded.

Jason shook his head, "Technically, we aren't even in Tokyo. We're just outside it."

"Thanks to Zack, all of the school paperwork has been taken care of," added Mal. "We all start tomorrow."

A weary groan came from Jason and Amara.

"Come on, you guys. Jase, you're only sixteen," admonished Serena. "And, Amara, this is your last year. We have to go to school."

"You still sure you don't want to go back to Juuban?" Zack asked.

Serena shook her head, again, "I was too bored at Juuban, not that the girls would believe it. Besides, like I told Nate, I'm not ready to face the girls just yet, and three of them are now at Juuban."

Zack nodded.

"And, Amara, I wanted to thank you again for convincing my parents to let me come back with you," she finished.

"You've become so responsible, Serena. It wasn't difficult," replied her cousin.

* * *

That Night:

Lita, Amy, and Raye stood before the Starlight Tower.

"Are you sure that reading is correct, Amy?" Raye demanded.

Amy's fingers flew over the keys of her Mercury Mini-computer. "I'm sure, Raye. There's a large mass of Negaverse energy here, somewhere."

"But there hasn't been a whisper from the Negaverse in a year. Not since Serena left," remarked Lita. "Why are we getting Negaverse now? And why did you call the two of us, anyway? Why not Mina?"

"Mina's supposed to be watching Derek tonight, so that Darien can get to his night class. I don't want to drag Derek anywhere near this, unless we absolutely have to."

"Hard to believe Derek's supposed to be fourteen and can't keep himself out of trouble," muttered Raye.

Lita glared at her and opened her mouth to speak. Suddenly, the ground began to shake, sending all three girls to the ground.

A humanoid creature came running up the road. It had tires for feet and what appeared to be a windshield in the middle of its chest.

"Here's the perfect spot to park," the monster stated. "I just need to get these pesky little girls out of my way."

The sound of an engine revving sounded, coming from the monster.

"Not so fast," yelled Lita. "Jupiter Star…"

A tire collided with Lita before she could finish her transformation phrase.

"Uranus World Shaking!"

A ball of yellow light slammed into the monster as four shadowy figures emerged from the night sky, all dressed as Sailor Scouts.

The yellow light had come from the blonde scout with short hair, who stood slightly in front of the others. The night wind blew at her navy skirt and yellow bows. Slightly behind her, on her right stood another scout, with shoulder-length aquamarine hair and aqua bows on her navy and white sailor uniform. Two more scouts walked forward, almost invisible in the darkness. The first, who held a long glaive, was short, with chin-length black hair and a purple, red, and white uniform, while the other wore a black, dark red and white uniform. Her hair fell to mid-thigh, a strange dark green color, and in her gloved hands, she held a staff topped by a garnet orb inside a purple heart.

"Who are you?" the monster demanded.

The blonde smiled. "I am Sailor Uranus, warrior of the celestial winds."

"I am Sailor Neptune, warrior of the graceful waters," stated the scout with aquamarine hair.

"I am Sailor Pluto," the green-haired woman declared, "warrior and guardian of time."

The littlest scout stared out with her dark violet eyes. "I am Sailor Saturn, the Sailor Scout of destruction and rebirth."

"We're the Outer Sailor Scouts, and we are here to take you down," concluded Sailor Uranus.

The monster laughed, before declaring, sarcastically, "Oh, I'm trembling."

"Neptune Deep Submerge!"

"Pluto Dead Scream!"

The aquamarine and violet balls of energy appeared from Neptune's hands and Pluto's staff, making contact with the monster's sides.

The monster threw several black discs towards the scouts. "Try this!"

"Saturn Silent Wall."

Saturn's monotone voice was heard as she lifted her glaive above her head and deflected the discs. They revealed themselves to be steering wheels that exploded as they hit the ground.

"Saturn Silent Glaive."

The glaive spun around and sliced the monster in half. It disintegrated into a pile of dust. A medallion rolled out of the pile and landed at Saturn's feet.

"A winged sandal?" Saturn stated, after examining both sides of the coin. "Our new enemy makes youma with medallions marked with winged sandals?"

"We should get this back and conduct a few tests on it," stated Neptune, taking the coin from Saturn and looking at it herself. "And winged sandals aren't all that are on here. There's some kind of old writing on it, too. I think its ancient Lunarian."

Saturn nodded.

"Let's go." Uranus turned and began walking back down the street.

"Wait!" Raye came running after her. "Who are you, exactly?"

"Sailor Uranus, leader of the Outer Sailor Scouts. That's all you need to know," was the answer.

She continued walking down the street, followed by the three other scouts until they disappeared into the gathering fog.

* * *

Andrew shrugged into his jacket and walked out of the Crown Fruit Parlor, locking the door behind him.

"Long day, Andrew?" A boy's squeaky voice came out of the darkness.

He turned to see Melvin and Molly walking up the street towards him.

"One of the longest," he answered with a grin. "You two on your way home, then?"

Molly nodded. "Melvin's making sure I get home alright."

"Can't be too careful in Tokyo." The bespectacled boy genius grinned.

"Too true."

The three whirled around to see a humanoid figure perched on a bicycle. Or at least, that was the way it first appeared, until they realized the creatures legs were the bicycle.

"Where are the generals?" the monster demanded.

Melvin pushed his glasses farther up his nose. "Who?"

"The generals, you idiot scientist. Where are the generals?"

Melvin quickly backed away from the creature, careful to keep Molly behind him. "I don't have any idea who you're talking about."

The monster drew back its hand.

"Not so fast, you youma!"

Two figures appeared, silhouetted against the crescent moon that rose over the top of the fruit parlor.

"I am Sailor Mini Moon," shouted the shorter of the two figures. She jumped down from the rooftop, revealing a young girl in a pink sailor outfit with knee-high pink boots. Her long pink hair was twisted up into two yam-shaped buns on the top of her head, with two ponytails hanging out of the back of them. In her hand, she held a small pink want topped with a pink heart.

The other figure dropped to the ground. "And I am Sailor Crystal Crescent."

Her knee-high white boots landed softly on the concrete, the silver crescents at her knees glittering. The wind whipped her silver skirt and sailor scarf. Gold bows shimmered at the small of her back and in front of her chest. Nestled in the center of her front gold bow was a silver crescent moon. Her pale, silver blonde hair was pulled up in two round buns with ponytails streaming out of them. In the center of her tiara sparkled an oval of white opal.

"We're going to take you down!" Sailor Mini Moon yelled. "Pink Sugar Heart Attack!"

Sailor Crystal Crescent pulled a silver wand from out of thin air. It was topped by a gold rose which held the Silver Imperium Crystal at its heart. Lifting the wand into the air and pointing the rose at the youma, she exclaimed, "Royal Crystal Crescent Healing!"

Pink hearts flew out of Mini Moon's want and collided with the youma, throwing it to the ground, before it was engulfed in a silver light from Crystal Crescent's wand. It burst apart, into a spray of dust. A small coin dropped to the ground and rolled to a stop after hitting the toe of Mini Moon's boot. She picked it up and showed it to the older scout.

"It has a rainbow on it," stated Crystal Crescent. "What does it mean? And why is there Ancient Lunarian writing on it?"

"We should have our computer expert analyze it," Mini Moon observed as she slid her wand back into her sub-space pocket.

Crystal Crescent nodded and the two of them disappeared into the night.

* * *

Darien stood before the rose bushes in Juuban Park, waiting for Mina and Derek to arrive. Even after spending a year living with him, the lavender haired boy was a much a mystery as he had been when he arrived. It was uncanny how much the boy's favored green jacket resembled his own, too. And, he had to admit, there hadn't been a youma attack since the spider one that had followed Derek from Crystal Tokyo.

"Hey, Darien!" Mina's voice echoed across the park. "We're here!"

The hyper, cheerful blonde sixteen year old drug the fourteen year old boy behind her.

Derek managed a slight grin as he spotted the dark haired man. "Hi, Darien. How was class?"

"Uneventful," he answered, dully.

"Too bad," came a deep voice. "Perhaps I'll liven things up."

Darien, Derek, and Mina turned to see a monster made of what appeared to be toy trains.

"Turn over the Golden Crystal and tell me the location of the generals, and maybe I won't hurt you too badly."

Derek squared his shoulders and moved to step forward, his fists shoved into the pockets of his green jacket. Darien placed a hand on the younger boy's shoulder.

"We have no idea who you're talking about!" Mina yelled.

The train youma smiled. "Oh, I highly doubt that. You know exactly what I'm talking about."

A crystal dagger materialized out of thin air and pointed itself at the youma's throat.

Five men emerged out of the thick bank of fog that rolled off the lake. All five of them wore grey tuxedos, long grey capes, and top hats, identical to the outfit worn by Tuxedo Mask in all but colors. One of them, the shortest, held his right hand out before him. His cape was lined in icy blue and he wore a mask of the same color.

"Careful, Tuxedo Sphinx. We don't want him harmed just yet." The one who spoke had orange lining on his cape and an orange mask. He at first appeared to be the tallest of the five new arrivals.

The youma snarled. "My quarrel is not with you. It is with these three. Now, leave!"

"We can't do that," stated another, stepping forward and proving himself to be a few inches taller than Orange Mask. He shoved aside his green-lined cape and stared at the monster through an emerald green mask.

The fourth man stepped forward, only an inch taller than the one called Tuxedo Sphinx. His vibrant red mask and red lining on his cape seemed almost to glow in the darkness. "Whom do you serve, youma?"

The monster twitched his hand and a train shot out at Tuxedo Sphinx. A silvery flash exploded and a silver staff, topped with a pewter skull, smashed into the train.

"That isn't playing nicely," stated the final new arrival. Unlike his companions, he almost blended into the night in dark grey lined with black and wearing a black mask.

"Who ever said anything about playing nice?" the train youma roared.

"Now can I get rid of it?" Tuxedo Sphinx asked.

Orange Mask nodded. "He won't give us anything."

The crystal dagger shot forward and slammed through the youma's throat. It exploded, revealing a small, spinning medallion.

"A rainbow?" Red Mask muttered, examining the coin.

Tuxedo Sphinx paused and held out his hand. Red Mask handed it to him.

"Queen Iris?" Tuxedo Sphinx mused, staring at the rainbow. "But how and why?"

"Iris? Like the Greek messenger goddess?" Green Mask demanded.

Black Mask shook his head. "Like the Queen of Mercury during the end of the Silver Millennium."

"We need to tell Crystal Crescent," ordered Orange Mask.

Tuxedo Sphinx nodded, and they disappeared into the fog once more.

* * *

"Hey, wait up!"

Darien turned to see a man with dark grey hair running up to him. A long black jacket flowed back behind him as he ran to catch up with Tuxedo Mask's alter ego. He wore black jeans and a black shirt under his jacket, but a pewter skull hung on a chain around his neck.

"It's Darien Shields, right?" the man demanded. "I'm Drake Miller. I'm in your Advanced Biology class."

The dark haired man managed a slight smile, tucking his hands into the pockets of his green jacket. "That's right. You just started today, right?"

Drake nodded. "Yeah. Hey, I was wondering, since you know your way around, would you mind joining my friends and me for some lunch? Nate always makes way too much for all of us to eat."

"I don't know," muttered Darien, "I was sort of planning to head home."

"Come on. It's not every day you get invited to eat lunch with our little group." Drake grinned.

Darien shrugged. "Why not?"

Drake led him over to the shade of a large tree in the school courtyard. Three people already waited there. One was a tall man with silvery white shoulder length hair who was fiddling with a camera. He seemed dressed more casually than his friend, in blue jeans and a white t-shirt. An orange jacket rested on top of his book bag. A dark green haired woman seemed to be studying a page in a thick biology text book. Her long-sleeved white shirt was tucked into a lavender knee-length skirt, and a matching jacket was draped across her lap. Unpacking a large wicker basket was an even taller man with long brown hair pulled back in a ponytail. He also wore a pair of blue jeans, and wore a long-sleeved green button up shirt over his white t-shirt.

"Hey, everyone. I want you to meet Darien Shields," declared Drake, coming to a stop just in front of them.

"Hello," stated Darien, giving a slight wave.

"Hey," said the silvery haired man, looking up from his camera. "I'm Malcolm Stone, but mostly my friends call me Mal."

The green haired woman looked up, meeting his blue gaze with her maroon one. "The name is Trista Meioh. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"She also happens to be my girlfriend," interjected Drake.

She shot him a glare, but he just continued to give a half smirk.

"And I'm Nathan Zenith," added the brown haired man. "Or as my friends call me, Nate."

"Nathan Zenith? As in the Gryphon Star Restaurants Zeniths?" Darien demanded.

Nate grimaced. "Unfortunately."

"Actually, I know someone who's taking cooking classes at Tokyo's Gryphon Star Restaurant. Her name's Lita Kino, and she's actually extremely good," remarked the dark haired man, settling himself onto the grass. "You're one of her greatest idols."

Now it was Mal's turn to grimace. "Don't let it go to your head, Nate."

"As if. I'm here to study Astronomy and Astrophysics, not to listen to my father about taking over the restaurant chain." Nate snorted.

"And what are you studying, Darien? You don't mind if we call you Darien, do you?" Trista asked, closing her book.

"Actually, I'm studying to become a doctor. You all?"

"Professional photographer," stated Mal, holding up his camera.

Trista smiled, "I'm still debating what career, but my field is bio-chemistry."

"Me, I'm just goofing off," stated Drake, dropping into the grass and laying down. "I don't really have a plan at the moment. I may end up teaching ancient history."

Trista laughed. "It would be interesting, especially considering your view of history."

Drake just laughed.

* * *

Darien strolled into the Crown Fruit Parlor after his last class to see Andrew wiping down the front counter.

"Derek's already here. He's over at the arcade, getting lost in the racing games," explained his oldest friend. "How were classes today?"

"Not bad," answered Darien, sinking down onto a stool. "Met a few new students up there, today. Drake Miller, Trista Meioh, Malcolm Stone, and Nathan Zenith."

"Zenith? Like the restaurants?"

Darien nodded. "But I'm not planning on telling Lita I've met him. She'd freak out on me."

"I completely agree with you," stated Andrew, sliding a mug of coffee over to this friend. "How soon will the scouts be here? Something happened last night that I think you should all be aware of."

"It can't be any weirder than what happened to me last night," muttered Darien, taking a sip of his coffee.

Just then, four girls burst into the fruit parlor.

"Hey, Darien. Hey, Andrew," called Lita, swinging up next to Darien at the counter. "You'll never guess what happened last night."

"You girls didn't get attacked by a youma, did you?" Mina demanded, dropping her book bag on the counter.

Raye nodded. "In front of the Starlight Tower. It was a car youma, too."

"Did you take it out or did someone else show up?" Darien inquired.

Amy shot him a confused glance. "How did you know? They called themselves the Outer Sailor Scouts, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto, and Saturn."

"Then they're not the same ones who took down the train youma we saw," observed Mina. "We were rescued by five guys in grey tuxedos. One of them was called Tuxedo Sphinx, but we didn't get to hear names on the others."

"Another one came here, after I closed last night," added Andrew. "It was a bicycle one, I suppose. Two more Sailor Scouts showed up, calling themselves Mini Moon and Crystal Crescent."

"Crystal Crescent? Isn't that who those tuxedo guys mentioned needed to know about the medallion?" Darien asked, looking over at Mina.

She nodded, "Yeah, because they thought it had something to do with Queen Iris of Mercury."

"What do you mean?" Amy demanded, pulling out her computer. "Did the medallion come out of the youma?"

Mina nodded, "And they said it had a rainbow on it. Then they mentioned Queen Iris and Crystal Crescent."

"But the one we saw had a medallion with a winged sandal on it," remarked Lita. "So, could it be two different enemies with similar styles?"

Raye shrugged. "I couldn't really get anything out of the fire. Something's blocking me from seeing anything."

"Well, the one that attacked here last night also had a rainbow on its medallion," commented Andrew. "Mini Moon said something about having their computer expert examine it."

"Well, without those medallions, I don't know how much we can learn about this new enemy, or these potential allies of ours."

"Did either of yours mention anything about the generals or a Golden Crystal?" Derek's voice came from the direction of the arcade. He stepped into the fruit parlor, his hands in his jacket pockets. "Because that's what ours mentioned. There's something about this that has a familiar ring to me, but I can't quite place it. It's like my memory's gone fuzzy."

Andrew nodded, "The one that was here mentioned the generals. It seemed to believe Melvin knew where to find them."

"It thought the same of Darien and I," added Mina. "But the only generals I know of are the Dark Generals Beryl sent after us, and they're dead."

Raye nodded. "So who are these generals they want so badly? And what's the Golden Crystal?"

Amy sighed and looked down at her watch. "Oh no, I'm going to be late! My mother actually has tonight off, so we're suppose to have dinner together! I can't miss that!"

She swung her books off the counter and a small, blue bound book slid across the floor to land at Mina's feet. A photo slid out of the cover and landed, face down, next to the book.

"What's this?" Mina asked, lifting them up.

She flipped the picture over to reveal a twelve year old boy with long blonde hair and bright green eyes.

"Who's this, Amy? A secret crush or something?" Mina teased.

Amy glared. "Give it back, Mina."

Mina grinned and flipped open the cover of the book. "To my beautiful friend, Amy Mizuno, from your good friend, Zack. May your intelligence shine forever."

"Sounds like someone has an admirer," laughed Raye. "So, where is he?"

"I met him four years ago, at a science retreat, and I haven't seen him since," declared Amy, snatching the book and photo out of Mina's hands. "Now, if you will excuse me, I have a family dinner to get to."

She turned and marched out the door, holding the blue book close to her chest, a small tear sparkling in the corner of her eye.

"I hope, wherever you are, Zack, you're having better luck avoiding teasing than I am," she whispered, before setting off down the street, her head held high.


	3. We Shall Meet Again

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Sailor Moon or any of the canon characters. Derek, Drake, and the others are my creation, however.

Author's Note: Galaxis High School is my creation, here. Its sort-of replacing the school Hotaru, Michelle, and Amara attended during the Heartsnatchers episodes, but since that isn't happening, I gave them a new school. (Too I can't remember the name!) This would be the school that Serena, Jason, Zack, Amara, and Michelle are attending.

Chapter Three: We Shall Meet Again

"That's the third one this week," whined Sailor Mars, looking down at the stage.

She and the other Inner Sailor Scouts had rushed to the auditorium when Sailor Mercury's computer had shown a spike of Negaverse energy, only to see the strange Outer Scouts grabbing a medallion and fleeing the scene.

"Every time," she continued, throwing her hands in the air, "every time we get beat to the youma, either by those Outer Scouts or those guys in tuxedos."

"Or even those two girls who call themselves Mini Moon and Crystal Crescent," added Sailor Venus. "Not that we've actually seen those two. Andrew, Molly, and Melvin are the only ones to have actually seen them."

Sailor Jupiter nodded. "It's not fair. Tokyo is our city. We're supposed to be defending it, not them."

"It's been four weeks now, and we can't even get close enough to take one down," muttered Sailor Venus.

Sailor Mercury looked up from her computer. "It looks like we might have another chance. There's another one over at the library."

"What are we waiting for?" Sailor Jupiter demanded. She leapt off the railing of the auditorium balcony and was out the door before Sailor Venus could blink. The other three swiftly followed her.

Upon reaching the large library, the four scouts discovered the youma waiting on the roof. It appeared female, wearing a Grecian style robe and sandals. Blue-black hair was held up in an elaborate hairstyle of curls, ribbons and braids.

"Well, this one looks interesting," observed Sailor Venus. "Any thoughts on how to take it down, Mercury?"

Sailor Mercury pressed her right earring and let her visor slide across her eyes. "I'm already scanning for a weak point, Venus."

"Why wait?" Sailor Jupiter demanded. "Jupiter Supreme Thunder!"

Her attack sped towards the monster, but the creature leapt out of the way. A barrage of sandals rained down on the four scouts, inflicting small cuts each time they hit.

"Venus Love Me Chain Encircle!" cried Sailor Venus.

Once again, the youma managed to avoid the attack. This time, it was directed back at the scouts. Another storm of sandals followed, pushing Sailor Mercury to the edge of the roof. She fell backward, her boots skidding on the shingles.

"Mercury!" Sailor Mars screamed, reaching out to try and grab her, missing by a half-inch. The blue-haired scout shrieked as she dropped away, only to suddenly find herself, not falling to the ground, but being carried in a pair of strong arms. She looked up into a face covered with a pale blue mask and topped with a light grey top hat. He landed on the roof, still cradling her in his arms.

"Are you alright, Sailor Mercury?" he inquired, his voice soft.

Mutely, she nodded, a blush creeping across her face.

"Mercury!" Sailor Mars leapt over to them. "You can put her down, now."

The masked man shook his head. "Move!"

More sandals were flying out of the monster's hands, straight at the trio. A huge phoenix erupted in front of them, unfurling its wings and incinerating the projectiles.

"Nicely done, Phoenix," stated a deep voice. "My turn, now!"

A gryphon, made of swirling winds, charged at the youma.

The blue masked man set Sailor Mercury down and pulled a small device from his pocket.

"Keep her busy, Gryphon!" The blue masked man yelled.

On the edge of the roof, a man in a green mask nodded. "You got it, Sphinx!"

Another man stood beside him, in a dark grey tuxedo and a red mask. The monster whirled on them, preparing another attack.

Out of the sky dropped a winged dragon, made of stone and mud. It dive bombed the monster before rising back up into the sky. From the darkness strode a fourth man, who wore an orange mask with his grey tuxedo.

"Got it!" Tuxedo Sphinx exclaimed. He lowered the device and pointed his right hand at the youma.

A sphinx made of pure ice shot forward and landed on the youma, before biting into the monster's throat. Both vanished in a flash of pale blue light, leaving only a pile of dust and another medallion.

Sailors Venus, Jupiter, Mars, and Mercury watched as the dragon, the phoenix, and the gryphon also faded away.

"Excellent work, as usual, Sphinx," commented the orange masked man. "Which medallion is it this time?"

Tuxedo Sphinx walked over and lifted the coin. "A winged sandal. King Hermes."

"Who are you?" Sailor Venus demanded.

Sailor Mars added, "And who said we needed your help? We could have handled her on our own."

"Sailor Mercury's fall suggested otherwise, Sailor Mars," observed Tuxedo Sphinx.

"I am Tuxedo Dragon," stated the orange masked man, bowing slightly, "to answer your question, Sailor Venus. I lead our little group. I suppose you might call us the Tuxedo Knights."

Sailor Jupiter turned to the two who hung back near the edge of the roof. "And the rest of you?"

"My second in command and our resident spiritual expert, Tuxedo Phoenix," stated Tuxedo Dragon, motioning to the man in the red mask. Tuxedo Phoenix gave a small bow. The green masked man stepped forward as their leader continued, "Our fortune teller and strongest warrior, Tuxedo Gryphon."

Tuxedo Gryphon nodded, giving a slight smile.

"You have also met our strategist and computer expert, Tuxedo Sphinx. Our final member, who is currently not present, is Tuxedo Cerberus," concluded Tuxedo Dragon. "I believe that answers your question."

"So, are the five of you on our side, then?" Sailor Venus demanded.

Tuxedo Gryphon gave another smile. "We do not serve the Negaverse."

"Then who do you serve?" Sailor Mars demanded, folding her arms and glaring at the masked men.

Tuxedo Phoenix strode over to stand in front of her, his own arms crossed. "That's not your concern, Sailor Mars. When you need to know, you'll know. But don't worry too much. I'm sure we'll be seeing a lot of each other."

Sailor Mars glared at him. "What? Do you see the future, too?"

He merely smiled and took two steps back.

Tuxedo Dragon turned. "Let's go."

The four Tuxedo Knights disappeared into the night.

"How rude," declared Sailor Venus. "Come on, girls. We need to tell Tuxedo Mask what happened."

* * *

Drake Miller leaned against the wall of the library, his right hand clenching the pewter skull he wore around his neck. His dark grey hair fell into his eyes.

"I guess you didn't need my help this evening," he observed, staring into space.

Tuxedo Dragon landed beside him, his orange lined grey cloak fluttering out behind him.

"No, we didn't. Have you found any answers yet?"

"Not yet, but I'm sure we're getting closer."

The other three Tuxedo Knights dropped down next to their leader. Red flames briefly surrounded Tuxedo Phoenix before fading to reveal the blonde haired man known as Jason Specter. "We're going to need answers, Drake."

"Then consult the Sacred Flame of Terra, Jason," growled Drake.

"We ran into the Inner Scouts tonight," stated Tuxedo Gryphon, before a swirling wind turned him into Nathan Zenith.

Tuxedo Sphinx nodded before encasing himself in ice. The ice shattered and Zack Stone stepped out. "Crystal Crescent isn't going to be happy about this."

Earth surrounded Tuxedo Dragon before crumbling to surround the feet of Malcolm Stone.

"Relax, all of you. So, Cerberus, what have you found out?" Mal demanded.

Drake shook his head, "I'd rather just tell everyone at once. Trista's waiting for us, with everyone else."

* * *

The next day:

Amy walked up the stairs of the entrance to Galaxis High School.

A wizened little old lady sat at a desk, just inside the door. Her pale blue hair glistened in the fluorescent lights.

"Can I help you, dearie?"

Amy smiled. "I am here for the computer science cram classes."

"Of course, dearie. It's just up the stairs on your right."

The dark blue haired girl thanked her and quickly climbed the staircase. Upon opening the door, she froze, her nose mere inches from a dark blue tie. She looked up into a pair of laughing green eyes with blonde hair falling into them.

"Hello, Amy! It's been far too long!"

Amy took a step back and looked at him again.

"Zack? Zack Stone?" she demanded. "I haven't seen you since that science retreat in Hawaii!"

He nodded. "You here fro the cram classes? I thought you wrote that you were going to Juuban."

She blushed, "I am still going to Juuban. I received an invitation to attend the cram class here, so I accepted it."

He draped an arm around her shoulders and led her into the classroom. "Welcome to Galaxis."

* * *

"Cooking isn't my only interest!"

"I refuse to let you continue to indulge yourself in this pointless hobby!"

Nathan Zenith shook his head and strode out the office door. His long brown hair was pulled back in a ponytail that bounced along his back. An older man followed behind him, his own brown hair in a severe military haircut.

"Don't walk away from me, Nathan!" the older man yelled.

Nate shrugged, "I'm going to be late for class."

"This isn't over!"

"Yes, it is. I'm going to get my degree in Astronomy and nothing you can do will change that, Father. Good day."

He strode forward, walking towards the employee entrance of the restaurant. Suddenly, someone collided with him. He threw up his arms and caught her upper arms in his hands.

"My apologies, Miss," he stated, staring down into her green eyes.

Lita Kino couldn't help but stare, mutely, up at him.

"If you will excuse me." He turned and walked past her.

She stared after him, with a sigh. _You know, he looks like my old boyfriend._

* * *

Mina let out a yawn and leaned back in the grass.

_No Artemis, no training, _she thought. _Free to do whatever I want, including just lying here in the sun._

She smiled and closed her eyes, just listening to the quiet of the park.

"Oh, excuse me, Miss!"

The blonde haired girl opened her eyes and stared up at the figure silhouetted above her.

He crouched down next to her, allowing her to make out his tanned face surrounded by silver, shoulder-length hair.

"I'm Malcolm Stone, a photography major at the University," he explained, holding up the black camera as evidence. "I was wondering if you wouldn't mind posing for my current project."

Mina let out a little squeal and smiled. "I'd love to!"

He gave a smile of his own.

"Let's begin, then."

He lifted the camera to his face and framed his shot.

* * *

Raye stood in front of her grandfather's temple, broom in hand. Shock still ran through her.

"Raye, did you hear me?" her grandfather demanded.

Silently, the young priestess nodded, unable to find the right words.

"I'm sure you're as sorry as I am to hear Chad is leaving, but on the bright side, I've already found his replacement," he continued.

The ebony haired girl turned at the sound of approaching footsteps. A blonde haired young man with bright blue eyes walked over, already dressed in a grey set of robes.

"You!" Raye shouted.

The man smiled. "It's good to see you too, Miss Hino. I trust you got as much out of that spiritual retreat as I did, during the school break."

"Jason Specter, you had best get out of here, now!" she yelled, lifting the broom.

"Now, Raye," interjected her grandfather, "you know we need help around here. Jason has even agreed to work for free. He will be working here, at least for a while."

"I'm sure, even on such small grounds, Miss Hino, we will be able to avoid each other quite well," added Jason.

"Hmph." Raye turned away from him, but not before she swung the broom handle into his stomach and slammed her foot down on top of his. She strode into the fire room, slamming the door behind her.

"Well, that went well," observed Jason, his arm resting on top of the spot where the broom had connected with his ribs. "I think it would be best if I come back tomorrow, when she's had a chance to calm down, Mr. Hino."

"Of course, Jason. And call me Grandpa. Everyone else seems to," added the short old man, smiling and shaking his head.

* * *

Darien sat at the counter in the Crown Fruit Parlor, his customary cup of coffee sitting in front of him. His scowl was reflected in the dark surface of the beverage, but he hadn't taken a drink of it, yet. Andrew leaned on the counter in front of him.

"Exactly what is bothering you, Darien? Even for you, this is depressing," joked the blonde.

He shrugged, "I still haven't heard from Serena. She answers the phone when any of the girls call, and she actually writes back to Amy when she sends a letter, but she won't reply to any thing from me. She won't give me a chance to apologize for what I did, or even to let me explain what happened."

Andrew sighed, about to comment when Derek came running in, sliding to a halt near Darien's stool. His green jacket sleeves were rolled up to reveal his hands, for once. The jacket was slightly too big for him, but he wouldn't part with it, no matter who had been asking.

"I've run out of money to play, Darien," the lavender haired boy complained.

"That was it for today, Derek. Did you get your homework finished?" Darien asked, still unsure how he had ended up being responsible for the strange boy. "That needs to be done first, after all."

Derek groaned, "But I hate math homework."

Andrew smiled. "He complains as much about math as Serena ever did."

The black haired man nodded.

"You really do miss her, don't you?"

Darien sighed, "More than you know."

Derek dropped into an empty booth, plopping his math book down on the counter. He froze, suddenly, as he looked out the window. _It couldn't be_.He blinked and looked again. Sure enough, there were two girls walking down the street, one blonde and one with light pink hair, both pulled up in similar hairstyles. Both had pigtails trailing out of the back of the buns they wore on top of their heads.

_Rini! She's really here in 20th Century Tokyo!_ Derek eagerly ignored his math book to stare out the window at them, hoping they would come in to the Crown.

However, the older girl steered Rini away, down the street to a clothing store and they disappeared inside it.

* * *

Down in the current Negaverse headquarters, a thin, frail looking woman with long ice blue hair knelt before a shadowy figure on a dark throne. Beside her, a tall man with pale skin and dark, navy blue hair slowly descended to one knee.

"You have both failed, again!" The shadowy figure on the throne idly tapped his fingers on the arm of his chair. "Iris and Hermes, this is your final chance. Bring me the heads of the Terran Generals. If you don't, you will be the ones I destroy."

Ice surrounded the two kneeling, blue haired people, as they nodded and vanished.

"Poseidon," yelled the man.

Another tall, imposing man with shoulder length aquamarine hair emerged from the darkness.

"You summoned me, my lord?"

"Yes. Should the former rulers of Mercury fail, it will be your turn. Begin your preparations. I don't take disappointment lightly."

Poseidon bowed and disappeared back into the darkness, the scent of sea water drifting over to the figure on the throne.

"This time, she will be mine. He won't stand in the way. I will have her." The figure rose from the throne and walked into the darkness behind it.


	4. Sphinx and Ice

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Sailor Moon or any of the canon characters. Derek, Drake, and the others are my creation, however.

Author's Note: Galaxis High School is my creation, here. Its sort-of replacing the school Hotaru, Michelle, and Amara attended during the Heartsnatchers episodes, but since that isn't happening, I gave them a new school. (Too I can't remember the name!) This would be the school that Serena, Jason, Zack, Amara, and Michelle are attending.

Author's Note: In case anyone was confused, in chapter two, Amy doesn't know Zack is in Tokyo. The book and the photo were given to her during the science retreat in Hawaii. She didn't know he was in Tokyo until she met him at the cram class. Also a warning, there will be several flashbacks in this chapter. They are all together, though, just sort-of one long sequence.

Chapter Four: Sphinx and Ice

"Ready for today's practice exams, Amy?" Zack came striding down the hallway, a book bag slung over one shoulder.

Amy gave a shy smile. "I hope so. I've spent so much time studying for them. I'm only three chapters ahead of my regular classes at Juuban."

Zack laughed. They had both been attending these classes for over a month. As he did every day, now, he dropped his arm around her shoulders as they walked into the room. A blush spread across Amy's face. It was something he waited every day to see.

"So, are we still on for that study date?" Zack asked, brushing a blue curl off of Amy's forehead.

Her blush brightened. "Of – of course! I thought we'd go to the Crown Fruit Parlor, this time, tomorrow!"

He smiled and walked her over to her seat, before strolling over to his own. The professor followed them into the room, a thick stack of papers in his arms.

"Everyone, settle down. It's time for the first of today's practice exams," his monotone voice declared.

Already in their seats, the students waited silently, having hardly made a sound in minutes. Zack sent an eye roll in Amy's direction as the professor moved to the front of the room.

The professor was about to hand out the first exam when a rainbow shot across the room and knocked the thin, tall man over.

A creature, human-like in appearance, with pure white skin and dressed in a gown that resembled a vivid rainbow, strode across the classroom from the open door. Long, pure white hair fell around her shoulders and down to the floor.

Amy froze, unable to do anything but stare as her mind flashed backward, throwing images before her. The youma that her mind saw was not the rainbow garbed one, but the far stranger one that had been her first Negaverse encounter in this life. She could see Serena charging in as Sailor Moon and Luna throwing her the first transformation pen. However, there was no girl in blonde pigtails and a sailor fuku running in the door and no way that she could transform in clear view of all the students.

While Amy was caught in memories, Zack dodged a whip-like rainbow and threw himself under a desk, his cell phone clattering away to the far wall. All around the room, students were collapsing as the youma pulled out their energy to sustain itself.

_Well, so much for trying to call in reinforcements, _thought Zack as he avoided another blast from the youma. _How can I transform without telling Amy that I'm Tuxedo Sphinx? Even though she's Sailor Mercury, I doubt she'd trust me. I know Sailors Venus, Mars, and Jupiter don't._

When the next attack sped towards Amy, still caught in a flashback of her first battle, he knew he had no other choice.

"Sphinx of Terra!" he shouted, diving in front of her.

Ice surrounded him and shattered, revealing Tuxedo Sphinx. Grabbing the edge of his blue-lined grey cape, he threw it up like a shield and reflected the youma's attack.

Amy blinked, her blue eyes flying open as she realized that Zack and Tuxedo Sphinx were the same person.

He lowered the cape as two more figures appeared in a cloud of ice. A woman, with ice blue hair in a pale blue, Grecian style gown and wearing a thin silver crown, stepped forward. Beside her stood a tall man in a white, knee-length Greek tunic and knee-high sandals. A thick silver crown rested in his dark blue hair. He stretched out his right hand, revealing the winged staff that he held. Two serpents twined around it, the royal caduceus of Mercury.

"General Zoicite," stated the woman, cackling. "How perfect."

_But Zoicite was female, wasn't she? _Amy thought, stepping back from all three of them. _I could have sworn that Zoicite was female. At least, while serving the Negaverse, she was._

Tuxedo Sphinx, Zack, bowed. "Queen Iris, King Hermes."

Amy blinked again, focusing on the faces of the other two blue-haired people.

_Mother? Father?_

Her eyes drifted shut as she fell into memories she had been unaware she still had.

* * *

"_Princess Ami, the generals of Terra have arrived. I thought it best that each of them be escorted by one of the four of you until the formal ceremonies begin," stated Queen Serenity. "You will find General Zoicite in the palace library, waiting for you."_

_Ami dropped a curtsey. "As you wish, your majesty."_

_That was how the princess of Mercury found herself walking through the halls of the Moon Palace in such a hurry. Her blue hair curled down to her shoulders and her dark blue eyes stared out from behind thin rimmed glasses. Her long blue gown swirled around her as she strode towards the library. Her feet hurt in the uncomfortable blue high heels Princess Minako had forced on her, earlier that morning._

_Inside the room she considered her sanctuary, she found a man reclining in a chair beside the fire. His long blonde hair was in a ponytail that draped over his right shoulder. Bright green eyes narrowed behind a pair of thin-rimmed reading glasses, as he stared down at the book in his hands._

"_Fascinating," he muttered, twining a blonde curl around his fingers._

_Ami crossed her arms and glared down at him, only possible as long as he was sitting and she was standing. "Can I help you?"_

_He looked up at her. "I'm sorry. I didn't even hear you approach. I am General Zoicite of Terra, also known as the Terran Sphinx of Ice."_

"_Princess Ami of Mercury," she replied, her voice cold._

"_It is a pleasure, my lady," he answered, rising from his chair and bowing. "As I understand it, you of Mercury are of the highest intelligence. Perhaps you can assist me in contacting the person who created the diagnostic program you use for examining people's health."_

_She gave a faint smile, her voice thawing slightly. "You are speaking to her."_

"_You, my lady? Perhaps you will explain how you came up with it. I know I have a few suggestions that might help improve its accuracy."_

_Ami nodded. "I would greatly appreciate it."_

_She sank down into the chair opposite the chair he had just vacated. The general grinned and reclaimed his seat._

* * *

"_Might I ask what you are doing, my lady?" General Zoicite stood in the doorway of the small parlor._

_She looked up from the square board on the table before her. "I thought we might play a game of chess while we held our discussions today."_

"_I've played chess before, my lady, and you need more that two people to play. My fellow generals have often played against me and lost."_

"_This is a different version, General, one that only requires two people." She pulled the small ivory and ebony pieces from a blue velvet bag. "Shall I explain the altered rules to you?"_

_His now familiar smile crossed his face. "Why don't you, my lady?"_

_

* * *

_

"_Do I really have to attend this, Minako?" Ami asked, smoothing the blue silk of her ball gown._

_The princess of Venus nodded. "Of course, Ami. You cannot sneak back to your library. You are expected to be present and be visible. It will help with our negotiations with Terra."_

_Ami sighed. She had been hoping to sneak away and spend some time with Zoicite. He had been creating a new portable computer even smaller than her personal Mercury computer. He had promised to show it to her on his next visit to the Moon Kingdom. She knew he was here tonight, but knew he hated having to put up with stiff, formal politeness that was common to these balls. _

_She followed Minako and their fellow princesses of the Silver Millennium into the grand white ballroom. Princess Serenity was already on the dance floor with the dark haired Prince Endymion of Terra, whirling among the other guests. One by one, her fellow princesses were swept away. Minako danced with her older brother, Eros. Makoto was waltzing with her father, King Zeus of Jupiter. Even Rei was out on the floor, her short, maternal grandfather acting as her dancing partner._

"_May I have this dance, beautiful nymph?"_

_Ami tuned and looked into Zoicite's green eyes._

"_Of – of course," she stammered, a blush spreading across her cheeks._

_She slid her blue silk gloved hand into his white cotton covered hand. His pale grey uniform with its icy blue trim, shifted stiffly._

"_Someone put too much starch in your uniform, Zoi?" she asked with a slight laugh in her voice._

_He grimaced. "Jadeite did it to all of us. Malachite was extremely furious with him. Only Endy got spared. He's already stuck in that uncomfortable armor."_

_The general of Terra slowly spun them out into the gardens. Violets and lilacs covered the trellises that spanned the walkways, which were bordered in sweet bluebells. A bubbling fountain stood in the center, water falling on blue pebbles at its bottom._

"_Ami, there's something I need to ask you," he said, turning so she sat on a bench. He knelt before her, his green eyes serious. "You know that your princess is now engaged to my prince."_

_She nodded. "It is the reason for tonight's ball."_

"_Well, if you would agree, I would like to, after their wedding, announce our engagement, as well. That is, if you will have me," he stammered out, his voice filled with uncertainty._

_Ami trembled as she took his hands into her own. "You want to marry me?"_

_He nodded. "I asked your father for permission this morning."_

"_I would love to marry you," she whispered, tears shining in her eyes. "There is nothing that I would love more than to spend eternity with you."_

_His smile threatened to break his face in two. Lifting her left hand, he cupped it in both of his. A pale blue light shone. When he removed his hands, a ring of pure crystal rested on her ring finger._

"_Thank you, my beautiful ice nymph."_

"_No, thank you, my intelligent crystal sphinx."_

_He lifted himself up to gently kiss her lips._

_

* * *

_

"_Do you really have to go?" she whispered into his ear._

_Zoicite's arms tightened around her. "If I could stay, I would. Malachite and Nephrite are already waiting for me, down on Terra. We have to find Jadeite. He's been missing for far too long, and the threat from this Beryl cannot be ignored anymore. Take care of yourselves."_

_He released her and knelt down, before a small figure with dark blue hair._

_Zoicite lifted his cupped hands to rest before the child's face. A tiny sphinx made of crystals and ice shards jumped out of his hands and landed on the child's shoulder._

"_Take care of yourselves," he repeated in a whisper. "I will return as soon as I can."_

_He rose, pushing his ponytail over his shoulder. He turned and walked over to where Endymion stood beside Princess Serenity. He bowed deeply to the royal pair and disappeared into the teleporter, bound for Terra._

_A tiny hand rose up and slipped into Ami's trembling one. Blinking back tears, she gave the hand a reassuring squeeze._

* * *

_Who was that child?_ Amy wondered.

Her attention was forced back to the room as the youma again attacked Tuxedo Sphinx.

She drew a breath and yelled, "Mercury Star Power!"

In less than a second, Amy Mizuno had disappeared and Sailor Mercury appeared. She didn't pause to think as she leapt between the youma and Tuxedo Sphinx.

"Leave him alone," she declared.

"Ami, move out of the way!" Iris declared.

Hermes nodded, "That is an order, daughter. Do not protect this traitor of the Silver Millennium!"

"But he wasn't!" Amy retorted. "He wasn't a traitor!"

Tuxedo Sphinx bit back a triumphant yelp. Amy truly believed that he hadn't betrayed them, hadn't betrayed her. She still believed in him.

"Daughter, get out of the way!" Hermes stretched out his hand and grabbed Sailor Mercury's arm, attempting to pull her out of the way.

The youma stood, confused. Suddenly, she exploded into sparkling dust. The medallion spun out, displaying both a sandal and a rainbow.

As the dust blew away, it revealed two more figures in the room. One was dressed as Sailor Mercury, but her blonde hair was down to the middle of her back in a loose ponytail. Bright green eyes shone out of her face. Then Sailor Mercury saw the tail twitching out of the bow at the small of the new girl's back. A young boy stepped up next to her, wearing a dark blue tuxedo and top hat. His mask and the lining on his cape were both a pale, icy blue. Dark, navy hair curled out from under his top hat.

Iris whirled to face them. "Who are you?"

The girl stepped forward. "I am Sailor Sphinx."

"And I am the Mercurian Knight," stated the boy.

Hermes let out a hiss. "You cannot be him."

The serpents on his caduceus rod came to life and dropped to the ground.

"Mercury Sphinx Crystal Bubbles!" Sailor Sphinx exclaimed, holding both of her hands in front of her.

A wave of crystal orbs surged forth, trapping the serpents.

Mercurian Knight lifted his hands into the air above him. "Mercury Sphinx Illusion River!"

A shimmering, floating stream of water shot out and slammed into Iris and Hermes. Two shadows emerged above them as Hermes and Iris collapsed to the floor.

"Just like before," choked out Iris.

Mercurian Knight stared down at her. "So what do we do?"

Iris and Hermes rose to their feet, becoming transparent as they rose.

"We help you," the former king of Mercury declared.

He walked over and placed his hands on Mercurian Knight's shoulders.

Iris nodded and placed her hands on the shoulders of Sailor Sphinx.

In a flash of pale blue light, the four people became only two.

Sailor Sphinx took a deep breath and crossed her wrists in front of her face. "Mercury Sphinx Rainbow Bubble River!"

"Mercury Sphinx Ice Crystals Blast!" Mercurian Knight declared, holding his hands in front of him, palms out, his elbows bent.

Bubbles in various colors swirled around Sailor Sphinx until she flung out her arms. Then the bubbles charged at the shadows. Shards of ice-covered crystals formed in front of Mercurian Knight's hands. He straightened his arms and the crystals flew at the shadows. The two attacks hit the shadows, which dissolved under the combined power.

The transparent forms of Iris and Hermes emerged from the two children. The former rulers bowed to the children before turning to face Sailor Mercury and Tuxedo Sphinx.

"I'm sorry, precious," remarked Hermes, meeting his daughter's gaze. "We should never have attacked you or Zoicite."

Iris added, "The shadows were more powerful than we remembered."

Mercurian Knight stumbled and grabbed a nearby desk to support himself.

"Don't worry. I'll be fine," he stated as Sailor Sphinx hurried over to him. "It was some power surge, there."

Hermes nodded. "The power and the attacks will remain with you both. You will just have to adjust to them, and all that comes along with them."

"You two must re-seal us, before the shadows can return." Iris moved to hover directly in front of Sailor Sphinx.

Mercurian Knight drew himself up to his full height. He held a round orb of blue crystal before him as he spoke. "Hermes, grant me wisdom. Neo-Mercury Power!"

Hermes smiled and, in a flash of dark blue light, disappeared into the crystal.

"Iris, show my way. Neo-Sphinx Power!" Sailor Sphinx declared, holding her own blue crystal orb in front of her.

Iris, too, vanished into the crystal, in her own flash of pale blue light.

Light surrounded both of the children. When it faded, the boy stood there in denim shorts and a pale blue t-shirt. White sneakers covered his feet and thin rimmed glasses sat before his eyes. His dark blue hair curled down to his earlobes. The girl shook her head, her blonde ponytail falling down the back of her icy blue summer dress. She knelt down and fixed the strap of her white sandal.

Sailor Mercury let her own transformation fade as Tuxedo Sphinx followed suit. Amy knelt before the Mercurian Knight and looked into his pale face.

"Zane?" she demanded.

His dark blue eyes flew open wide and he stumbled back.

Zack turned to her. "Who?"

"Zane," she repeated.

A sudden roaring drew everyone's attention as a man in a dark grey tuxedo strode though a yawning black portal. His black mask hid his eyes and his dark grey top hat was pushed low, making it difficult to make out the color of his hair.

"You two need to come with me," he stated.

Zack turned to the new arrival. "Tuxedo Cerberus, what's going one here?"

"I'm not entirely sure," he answered, dropping a hand onto the young boy's shoulder. "Come along, Zane. You, too, young miss."

Sailor Sphinx nodded and followed Tuxedo Cerberus and Mercurian Knight through the portal, which then vanished.

"That was Tuxedo Cerberus, then?" Amy demanded.

Zack nodded. "I have to go. I need to find out what's going on."

"Alright. I'll meet you at Crown Fruit Parlor tomorrow, after school."

He gave her a puzzled look.

"We do still have a study date tomorrow, right?"

The blonde man nodded. "Of course. We can also compare notes tomorrow on what we know and remember."

Amy smiled, a blush once more covering her face. Zack leaned down and placed a kiss on her forehead before dashing out of the room.

_I wish I could answer his questions about Zane, though. Who is he and how do I know his name?_

A figure in a dark red cape peeped through the window, careful not to be seen my any of the awakening students.

"And so it begins," he whispered. "And so it begins, again."

* * *

Author's Note: To answer a few questions, I originally planned for at least one chapter while Serena was still in America, but I couldn't get it to work out. Don't worry, though. You will learn what happened to Serena back in America, it will just take a while! Also, more scout interaction will be coming! Now, just do me a favor and click that little button down there and leave me a review. Even if it is only just to ask a question, do it! I would love to answer any questions you have!


	5. Confusion Abounds

**Disclaimer:** I do NOT own Sailor Moon or any of the canon characters. Derek, Drake, and the others are my creation, however.

**Author's Note:** This is set during the Sailor Moon R break-up, when Darien is having the nightmares and breaks up with Serena. However, I have decided to make Rini a little older. She's now about ten years old, instead of four, just because of the plot line. Also, the other scouts are older, as everyone is now in high school except Hotaru. But, hey, this is AU. Also, when I refer to the five divisions of Terra, I refer to them by their direction from Elysian, thus North and South America, being to the East of Elysian are the Eastern Division, Africa and the Middle East are the Western Division. Europe, Russia, Greenland, and Iceland are all the Northern Division, while Australia, Antarctica, and the Pacific Islands are the Southern Division. The rest of Asia would be Elysian. Galaxis High School is my creation, here. Its sort-of replacing the school Hotaru, Michelle, and Amara attended during the Heartsnatchers episodes, but since that isn't happening, I gave them a new school. (Too I can't remember the name!) This would be the school that Serena, Jason, Zack, Amara, and Michelle are attending.

I do apologize for the long wait. Between school, work, and a great deal of writer's block (the bane of my existence!) it took me a while to get this done. Also, I had a couple of small problems to fix with the first chapter. Derek is fourteen, not ten, the way I had him in the first chapter! Oops! Now, on with the story!

Chapter Five: Confusion Abounds

"Hey, Zack! Where are you going?" Serena leaned over the white banister of the third floor landing to yell at her cousin.

The blonde-haired, green-eyed man looked up at her. "I have a study date in an hour and I want to make sure I can actually find the place. I don't want to be late!"

"But we haven't had our daily challenge, yet!" Mock horror filled Serena's voice. "Who gets to decide what dessert Nate makes tonight?"

"You could always come with me, Sere. You know Tokyo better than the rest of us."

She smiled and hurried down the stairs, grabbing her backpack as she went.

"I've been wanting to get out of the house, anyway." She slid to a halt next to him. "So, where's your date?"

"The Crown Fruit Parlor," he admitted.

Suddenly, Rini's head popped up over the back of the couch. "You're going to the Crown? Can I come too?"

Serena narrowed her eyes and glared over at the pink-haired girl. "Why do you want to go, Rini? I thought you were going to be hanging out with Hotaru this afternoon."

"Hotaru is going to the concert hall for Michelle's audition into the school orchestra. I didn't really feel like sitting down to hearing Michelle play that piece again. It's a little sad, you know." Rini shrugged. "Besides, Andrew makes the best chocolate milkshakes!"

The two blondes nodded and Serena smiled at the last statement, being in complete agreement.

"Alright, you can come," remarked Zack, "but don't bug me too much. I do have a study date in an hour."

"And you're meeting her at the Crown?" Rini seemed positively shocked.

He nodded. "It was her choice, actually. Usually we meet at the library, but we decided to go someplace else, this time. Our last discussion was a little too loud for the librarian's liking."

Serena and Rini both smirked at this.

"So, are you two going to do your daily challenge at the Crown, then?"

Serena shrugged. "I don't see why not. It would sure give Andrew a shock."

Rini smiled as the three of them walked out of the white mansion and down to the line of vehicles parked out front. An orange motorcycle was parked next to a yellow convertible near the front of the line. Just behind them were a matching set of convertibles, one in a shiny, icy blue and the other in a subtle blushing pink. Right behind them was a red motorcycle. The final two cars were the black van that Jason had picked up when they arrived and a black sedan.

"So, are you driving or am I?" Zack demanded, motioning to the two matching convertibles.

"It would be better if I drove," stated Drake, walking up to them, his keys in his hand. "Neither of you have so much as a permit in Japan, yet. Yes, I know you both are very capable drivers, but we'd better follow the law. We got in enough trouble when Jason drove to pick us up at the airport. Now, I can drop you off and come back to pick you up later."

Serena nodded. "Just pay attention to my directions. Unless you've managed to make it to the Crown Fruit Parlor before."

"Not yet, but I'm meeting one of my classmates there tomorrow."

The dark-grey haired man opened the door of the small black sedan and motioned Zack and Rini into the back seat. Rini glared at him.

"Back seat, short stuff." Drake grinned as he helped Serena into the front passenger's seat. "Besides, Serena is giving the directions."

"But I know the way to the Crown, too," whined Rini.

Zack shrugged. "Tough luck, shrimp. Besides, you're still not quite tall enough to ride up front."

* * *

"Unfortunately, we're going to have to be extra careful around the shrine, now," declared Raye, folding her arms across her chest.

The girls were gathering in their usual meeting room at the shrine, waiting for Darien to arrive. Amy looked up from her medical textbook as Mina lowered her gossip magazine. Lita turned to face the shrine maiden, her attempt at completing homework forgotten.

"Why?" Darien stood in the doorway, Derek standing just behind him.

"Jason Specter," growled Raye. "The annoying American from the sacred retreat. Somehow, he managed to follow me back to Tokyo! And now he's working here!"

"What happened to Chad?" Lita asked.

Amy nodded, "I thought he was still working here."

"He had to move back home," the shrine maiden sighed. "Just a few days ago. Specter didn't start working here until yesterday."

"You really don't like him, do you?" Mina stated. "Or is it that you really _do_ like him?"

The blonde sent a smirk in Raye's direction, receiving a glare in return.

"Pardon the interruption," stated a voice from behind Darien.

The black haired man whirled around to face a blonde man only inches shorter than him. Blue eyes, bright with an inner fire, met the midnight blue of Terra's prince. A jolt shot between the two of them and they both staggered back.

"What do you want, Specter?" Raye snarled at him.

Jason blinked and turned to her, a charming smile crossing his face.

"I was wondering if you planned on using the Fire Room, today, Miss Hino. If not, I was going to try and meditate."

"And here I thought you were supposed to be working, Specter."

"I have your grandfather's permission. My sensei back in America would be most displeased if I neglected my training."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "I was going to be going in there shortly."

"Then I will wait until you finish." The blonde man bowed and turned to leave the room, careful to avoid looking directly at Darien.

Derek stepped towards Jason, a puzzled expression on his face, strands of lavender hair falling into his own dark blue eyes. _No, it can't be him. He was the Master Prankster, and he wouldn't be worried about sharing the Sacred Fire. He would be offering his assistance in seeing more clearly._

The boy shook his head and followed the others into the Fire Room. Raye knelt before the flame, attempting once again to gain a glimpse of either the new enemy or the strange warriors who had joined the fight.

"I'm telling you it still isn't going to work," stated Mina, her expression dubious. "It hasn't done any good so far, now has it?"

Raye glared over her shoulder at the Scout Leader before turning back to the flame. To everyone's surprise, something began to form in the flames. Five creatures, all with looks of extreme displeasure, hovered in the middle of the flames. In the very center, a dragon stood, fixing narrowed eyes on Raye and twitching its long, serpentine tail. A gryphon stood to the dragon's left, flexing its wings. Next to him, a three headed dog bared the teeth in all three of its mouths in a silent growl. A sphinx stood on the dragon's far right, digging his claws into the bed of the flames. Between the dragon and the sphinx, a phoenix sat, its eyes closed, as if in slumber. Suddenly, its eyes flew open wide and it shot out at Raye, causing her to release the vision.

"Well, that was surprisingly unhelpful," commented Lita, rising to her feet. "Obviously the Tuxedo Knights don't want us to dig any deeper, especially Tuxedo Phoenix."

Amy frowned and dropped a look at her watch. _Oh, no! I'm going to be late. I'm supposed to meet Zack in twenty minutes!_

"Something wrong, Amy?" Mina asked, taking in the startled expression on the bluenette's face.

She shook her head, rising to her own feet. "I just realized that I have a very important meeting to get to. I'm afraid I have to go."

"I think we need to call it quits for today, anyway," added Darien. "That attack by the phoenix got to you, Raye. You need to get some rest after that."

* * *

A little bit later, Darien, Derek, and Amy were walking down the street in front of the Crown Fruit Parlor.

"Please, Darien! I just want to step in for a milkshake," begged Derek. "Please!"

Darien sighed, trying not to give in to the lavender haired fourteen year old. Amy bit back a sad smile, thinking how much Derek was reminding her of Serena.

"Please, please, Darien!"

The black haired man groaned. "Fine, but just the one milkshake! No games today. You still need to finish your homework."

Derek nodded, happily. "I'll even do the extra credit. Thanks, Darien!"

The three of them walked into the Fruit Parlor and encountered a stunned Andrew.

"Hey, what's going on?" Derek demanded.

Amy peered around the blonde man and her mouth dropped open.

Two blondes and a pink haired girl sat at the same table, just in front of Andrew. Both blondes were bend over thick textbooks, with pencils flying over paper piled next to them.

"Serena!" Amy gasped.

The blonde girl shoved a strand of hair out of her eyes and focused on the next math problem, blocking out her old friend.

"Just a minute, Amy," stated Rini, her chin resting on her folded hands. She leaned her head forward and took a drink of a chocolate milkshake sitting in front of her. "They're in the middle of a challenge!"

Suddenly, Serena slammed her book shut. "Done!"

Zack lifted his head and glared at her. "But is it correct?"

She smiled and slid the textbook towards Amy. "Why don't you check it, Amy?"

The bluenette bent her head, her eyes widening as she examined the long list of Calculus problems.

"Wow," muttered Andrew, coming out of his stupor. "Serena is taking Calculus?"

Darien nodded, his own jaw dropping. This wasn't the bubbly, scatter-brained, fun-loving Serena he remembered and still loved.

"Well, did Serena win?" Rini demanded.

Amy drew out her glasses and scanned down the answers.

"I don't see any wrong answers," she stated, awe in her voice. "They appear to all be correct."

"Yay! Serena chooses dessert tonight!" Rini exclaimed, her pink ponytails bobbing up and down.

Zack dropped his pencil, having finished his own final problem. "That's getting to be normal. I don't think I've won a challenge in two weeks."

Serena smiled. "You need to learn to work faster, Zack."

The blonde, green-eyed man leaned back, folding his hands behind his head. Thin rimmed glasses were perched on his thin nose. He let out a laugh before turning to look at the three new arrivals.

"Hello. My name is Zack. I'm one of Serena's cousins, actually," he stated , extending his hand towards Andrew.

"Andrew Fujihara," replied the still stunned blonde man, shaking Zack's hand. "Part owner of the Crown."

"Derek Chiba," stated the lavender haired boy, leaning forward, taking his own turn at shaking hands.

Darien slowly closed his mouth, before extending his own hand. "Darien Shields."

Zack's green eyes went icy cold and narrowed. He withdrew his hand and returned it to resting behind his head.

"So, you're the one who broke my cousin's heart," he stated, his voice dripping with frozen anger. "How delightful."

He turned away from Darien and looked over at the bluenette. "So, Amy, did you want to go to that science exhibition down the street? There's supposed to be several interesting exhibits down there."

"Wait. Your study date was with Amy?" Rini exclaimed.

Serena's face darkened. She drew back her textbook and slid it into her pink bookbag. "Rini, our ride will be here soon."

Suddenly, a girl with aquamarine hair burst through the door, her eyes wide. She ran over and slammed four coins down on the table.

"Michelle, I thought you had an audition today," observed Serena, laying her hand on top of the new girl's.

"I was attacked," she explained. "Sailor Neptune saved me. These were left behind."

Serena picked up one of the medallions, the light reflecting off the trident engraved into it.

"Poseidon," whispered Amy, loud enough only Serena, Zack, and Michelle could hear her.

"I'll have to analyze this later," muttered Zack. "I can't do it here."

He shot a pointed look at Darien, Derek, and Andrew. Serena nodded, sliding one of the medallions into the pocket of Amy's bookbag.

A horn honked outside as a black sedan pulled up in front of the Crown.

"It looks like I'm going to have to cancel, Amy. Is that alright?" Zack asked.

The blue haired girl nodded. "It's alright, Zack. In fact, I was going to have to cancel myself."

Zack rose, grabbing his bookbag and textbook. Serena, her face still serious, lifted her own bag and slid her hand around Rini's arm. Michelle followed them, having gathered up the other three coins.

Once the four of them were in the car and driving away, Amy let out a sigh.

"I don't recall the scouts or those tuxedo guys leaving the medallions behind, before," remarked Derek, biting his lip.

Darien nodded. "However, it sounds like Sailor Neptune was on her own, this time. Unless the girl is Sailor Neptune."

Amy slid her hand into the pocket of her bookbag, reaching for the small notebook she was writing all of the information in, as her Mercury Computer was no longer around. Instead, her hand closed around the medallion Serena had placed in there.

"Serena left one of them with us," she stated, showing it to the three males. "I just don't understand the writing on this."

"May I? Languages were also part of my studies," stated Derek.

Amy dropped the coin into the young boy's hand. He held it up, letting the light reflect on the writing.

"It _is_ Ancient Lunarian. It states Poseidon's name and mentions his daughter Michiru, who was Sailor Neptune in the Silver Millenium. But it also says his soul was sealed by the heir of, no, sorry, the heiress of the Thunder Gryphon. Then, he was re-sealed by his own descendant."

"His soul was sealed? How?" Andrew demanded.

Derek shrugged. "It doesn't say. It just says that he was sealed. His own descendant is probably the current Sailor Neptune. I am more interested in the Thunder Gryphon's heiress. The name sounds extremely familiar. Who was she?"

"Agreed," stated Amy. "I just wish we could sit down and discuss this with Serena. I have a feeling we will end up needing Sailor Moon."

"I'm not sure she wants to come back," remarked Darien. "If she did, wouldn't she have already have come to help us out? No, Sailor Moon won't be joining the fight."

* * *

"The heiress of the Thunder Gryphon?" Drake inquired, leaning back in his black leather chair.

Serena nodded, laying the medallion on the table. "That's what it says."

"Well, Poseidon's descendant wasn't me. It was a strange girl, who looked more like Amara. Her hair was in the same style and so was her uniform, except the colors were mine. She called herself Neo-Sailor Neptune."

Amara shot a confused look at her girlfriend. "She looked like me?"

"Neo Neptune?" Mal asked.

Zack sighed. "I should also mention what happened yesterday in cram class. We encountered Queen Iris and King Hermes."

"Who is we?" Nate demanded.

"Sailor Mercury and I. We also received help from two new arrivals, Sailor Sphinx and Mercurian Knight," he added. "After everything was over, Drake showed up and teleported them both away."

Every head in the room turned to face the dark grey haired man. He lifted his arms and rested his elbows on the table, folding his hands and resting his chin on them.

"They are both from another time, much like Rini. However, one of them, the boy you called the Mercurian Knight, has traces of carrying solidified souls."

"Solidified souls?" Trista asked. "Like one of them, one of those seven?"

Drake nodded, "I almost think he may have been one of the seven. However, in order to find out, Trista and I would have to leave for a while. We need to discover the truth of this situation."

"Do you really think you can find out what's going on and who's behind it?" Amara demanded.

Trista nodded. "But it will leave you down one scout and one knight while we search."

Serena rose to her feet. "We can handle it for now. If it gets to the point where we can't handle it, we will find a way to awaken the Inners fully."

"Sailor Mercury is already close to full awakening," added Zack. "No doubt she'd be very willing to help us if we ask."

"So, she remembers you? She knows you didn't betray them?"Jason demanded, a spark of hope in his voice.

The green-eyed man nodded. "However, my clone was messed up. It became female, so when Amy remembered me, it was easy for her to know it wasn't me, because she already knew it back then. None of you have that easy route. Your clones were all very similar to you."

_And you don't even know how messed up your clone was,_ thought Serena, repressing a shudder. _I haven't mentioned the relationship between your clone and Malachite's._

"But if you do end up triggering the memories of the Inner Scouts, you may be able to reason with them until they realize the truth," stated Michelle, looking at Mal, Nate, and Jason.

"If that's everything," said Serena, crossing her arms, her crescent moon on her forehead beginning to shimmer into existence, "then, Trista, Drake, good luck on your quest. Come back to us safely. May the light of the moon guide and protect you."

Trista rose and walked over to embrace Serena, who returned the gesture. Drake rose and shook hands with his fellow Tuxedo Knights before giving Serena a hug of his own.

"Take care of yourself, Princess, and look after the others," he whispered in her ear.

He and Trista stepped over to the open area in the middle of the living room, where they transformed into Sailor Pluto and Tuxedo Cerberus. Cerberus lifted his skull topped staff and opened a new portal, through which he and Sailor Pluto disappeared.

* * *

Author's note: Once again, I apologize for the wait on the chapter! Please, please don't let that stop you from reviewing! Also, in case you haven't read my profile, I will end up doing a second fanfic, giving my own version of the Heartsnatchers arc, also known as the time Serena spent in America during this fanfic! It will be called Hearts of Le Lune. I think you can figure out why. Now, go down and click that little button at the bottom of the screen to leave me a review. Ask a question, say you like the story, say you hate it, I don't care! Just review!


	6. Thunder and Gryphon

**Disclaimer:** I do NOT own Sailor Moon or any of the canon characters. Derek, Drake, and the others are my creation, however.

**Author's Note:** This is set during the Sailor Moon R break-up, when Darien is having the nightmares and breaks up with Serena. However, I have decided to make Rini a little older. She's now about ten years old, instead of four, just because of the plot line. Also, the other scouts are older, as everyone is now in high school except Hotaru. But, hey, this is AU. Also, when I refer to the five divisions of Terra, I refer to them by their direction from Elysian, thus North and South America, being to the East of Elysian are the Eastern Division, Africa and the Middle East are the Western Division. Europe, Russia, Greenland, and Iceland are all the Northern Division, while Australia, Antarctica, and the Pacific Islands are the Southern Division. The rest of Asia would be Elysian. Galaxis High School is my creation, here. Its sort-of replacing the school Hotaru, Michelle, and Amara attended during the Heartsnatchers episodes, but since that isn't happening, I gave them a new school. (Too I can't remember the name!) This would be the school that Serena, Jason, Zack, Amara, and Michelle are attending.

Chapter Five: Gryphon and Thunder

Lita slid another plate onto the tray, signaling the waiter that it was ready. Only two hours into an eight hour shift and her feet were already throbbing. Thankfully, she had been promoted from wait staff and was allowed to work on creating the amazing desserts served at Gryphon Star Restaurants. It meant she no longer had to wear the black high heels that squeezed her toes and emphasized how much taller she was than everyone else. It also meant that she got to see him.

She didn't know a whole lot about him. Just that he called himself Nate and he was amazing with creating desserts. He had been working alongside her almost every shift for the past two weeks. He had even apologized for almost running her over the first time she saw him. He had explained that he was running late for class, and it was entirely his fault for not watching where he was going. She held back a sigh as she thought of that first day together, demanding to know who he was and what he was doing when he appeared next to her.

"Afternoon, Lita," said a deep voice.

The brunette girl turned to face the speaker. Brown hair, long and pulled back in a ponytail, almost matched her own, as did his laughing green eyes.

She smiled, "Afternoon, Nate. How were your classes?"

"Fabulous, considering I'm still having to take notes for Drake," he grumbled. "He's still not back from his whirlwind vacation with his girlfriend."

Lita couldn't help but think Nate was jealous of his friend. Obviously, the tall man wanted to be able to leave Tokyo for a while, but couldn't. He was as dedicated to this restaurant as she was.

She was about to ask him to join her in Juuban Park after their shift, hoping to be able to learn more about him. He still made her think of her old boyfriend, even if she couldn't remember exactly who that old boyfriend was. A scream interrupted her attempt. One of the waitresses dashed into the kitchens.

"There's some kind of monster out in the dining room," she explained, trying hard to catch her breath. "It has Mr. Zenith trapped and everyone seems to be fainting!"

The reaction among the chefs varied. Some were running for the door, leaving all of their work untouched. The rest, including Nate and Lita, were hurrying towards the dining room.

In the center of the restaurant stood a female figure in a Grecian style gown, brown hair pinned into elaborate curls and piled on her head. One hand was curled around the throat of a man, dressed in a black suit, with silver-streaked brown hair.

"Bow to me. Give me all the energy you possess," cackled the youma.

Chefs on either side of Lita and Nate fell to the ground. Soon, only the two of them were left standing, and Lita was having a hard time doing even that. Nate dove to avoid a sudden electrical charge from the monster, before he ran up and delivered a flying kick into the monster's side.

"Nathan, get out of here," demanded the man who was held hostage by the youma. "Nathan Zenith, get out of here."

Nate shook his head, "Sorry, Father. No can do!"

The monster picked up both men and threw them towards the far wall, where they both lay in crumpled heaps. Looking around, Lita didn't see any one else still conscious.

Lifting her green transformation wand, she exclaimed, "Jupiter Star Power."

Nate peeked out from under his arm, watching as lightning surrounded Lita. It faded to reveal Sailor Jupiter.

"Jupiter Supreme Thunder Clap!" she yelled, throwing lightning at the youma.

Strikes of lightning flew back and forth between the two female figures, neither being able to best the other. A lucky strike from the youma had Sailor Jupiter crumpling to the floor. Nate, unable to watch, helpless, jumped to his feet, ignoring the startled expression on Sailor Jupiter's face.

He drew a deep breath and yelled, "Gryphon of Terra!"

Wind swirled around him, changing the apron-wearing chef into the green masked warrior in a grey tuxedo. Tuxedo Gryphon had joined the fight.

He moved swiftly, flying over tables and chairs to land another strong kick to the youma's side. This time, it actually had an effect. She flew back and crashed into a long salad bar. Shaking her curled hair, the monster rose and threw more lightning at Tuxedo Gryphon. He flung his cloak up before him, deflecting her attack.

"Tuxedo Gryphon, are you alright?" Sailor Jupiter demanded, running over to him.

"I'm fine," he growled, flinging the cape back over his shoulders. "We really need to take her down."

He briefly closed his eyes, before a gryphon made of sparkling winds appeared and charged at the monster. Sailor Jupiter nodded and held her hands before her, as her antenna emerged from her tiara. "Jupiter Sparkling Wide Pressure."

Electricity shot from her hands and turned the youma into a pile of dust, a medallion coming to rest at her feet.

"A lightning bolt and a javelin?" Sailor Jupiter demanded, examining the coin.

Tuxedo Gryphon's face went pale. "King Zeus and Princess Athena."

"How right you are." A deeper voice than Tuxedo Gryphon's rumbled across the room.

Both warriors turned. A tall man with shoulder length white hair, dressed in a dark green toga, lifted a lightning bolt in his right hand. Beside him, dressed in burnished bronze armor, a woman with long flowing brown hair stood, holding a javelin.

"Stand down, Sailor Jupiter. We aren't here for you," stated the woman, turning a pointed stare at Tuxedo Gryphon. "We only want the Generals of Terra."

Sailor Jupiter took a step forward, moving into a battle stance. However, before either she or Tuxedo Gryphon could attack, the white haired man stumbled forward, as if attacked from behind. He whirled around to face a young man in a dark green tuxedo. Pink flashed on the underside of his cape and in the mask across his face. Brown hair, pulled into a ponytail, fell out from under his dark green top hat.

"And who are you?" snapped the woman, lifting her javelin to point it at the new arrival.

"I am the Jovian Knight, here to help protect the world from people like you, Princess Athena and King Zeus of Jupiter," he stated, drawing back his hand. "Jupiter Gryphon Starry Crash."

Energy, shaped as five-pointed stars, shot out of his hand, colliding with Zeus.

"Jupiter Gryphon Sparkling Whirlwind!" A female voice rang out.

Winds filled with glittering strands of electricity surrounded Athena, sending her back towards the restaurant entrance. A girl, looking very much like Sailor Jupiter, landed next to Jovian Knight. Two golden winds spread from her shoulders, fluttering as they folded behind her back. Her brown hair was even pulled up into a ponytail identical to the Inner Sailor Scout.

Athena brought a coin out of the air, tossing it towards her father. A bolt of lightning shot from Zeus's hand, connecting with the medallion. It glowed before taking the shape of a youma dressed in armor.

"Take down Tuxedo Gryphon and Sailor Jupiter," roared Zeus. "Athena and I will deal with the Jovian Knight and his little friend."

"The name is Sailor Gryphon!" The girl declared, her green eyes narrowing.

Athena launched her javelin as Zeus threw another bolt of lightning at the two young people. Sailor Gryphon leapt into the air, her wings spreading and allowing her to hover into the air. Jovian Knight leapt over Zeus and Athena, gathering energy between his hands.

"Jupiter Gryphon Supreme Whirlwind," he declared, throwing strong winds to surround Zeus and Athena, forcing them to stand together.

Sailor Gryphon rose above them, holding one hand above her head. "Jupiter Gryphon Star Revolution!"

Blade-like stars surrounded her, spinning out to strike Zeus and Athena. The two were forced into a kneeling position, fading into a transparent state. Two shadows rose out of them, moving to attack Jovian Knight and Sailor Gryphon. Zeus and Athena, now ghostly, flew out of the whirlwind, merging with Jovian Knight and Sailor Gryphon. The winged girl rose a little higher into the air, lifting both of her hands above her head.

"Jupiter Gryphon Starry Thunder Clap!"

Stars surrounded bolts of lightning as it collided with the shadows.

"Jupiter Gryphon Oak Star Revolution!" Jovian Knight declared, holding both of his hands in front of him, while oak leaves and stars shot out of his hands, all of them sharp as blades.

Both attacks utterly destroyed the two shadows. Zeus and Athena reemerged from the children, hovering before them. The ghostly people nodded as Jovian Knight and Sailor Gryphon pulled out two shimmering, matching green crystal spheres.

"Athena, strengthen me," stated Sailor Gryphon, extending her crystal. "Neo-Gryphon Power!"

Jovian Knight lifted his own crystal. "Zeus, give me strength. Neo-Jupiter Power!"

Both spirits disappeared inside the crystals in a flash of green light, leaving behind two teenagers. The boy was left standing there, dressed in a long-sleeved green t-shirt and blue jeans. His long brown hair hung in a ponytail down his back, and his green eyes narrowed as he looked around him. Brown hiking boots covered his feet. His companion landed lightly beside him, her wings now gone. Her own ponytail brushed against the soft green turtle-neck sweater she wore with her short denim skirt. Her own knee-high brown boots made no sound on the carpeted floor as the two of them turned and fled from the restaurant.

Meanwhile, Sailor Jupiter was jumping out of the way of another attack from the second youma.

"She seems so much stronger than the last one," commented Jupiter, ducking under a table.

Tuxedo Gryphon nodded, reaching into his sub space pocket and lifting out an irregularly shaped pale green crystal. Holding the crystal in front of him, he breathed softly onto it. The crystal began to glow with a soft, pale green light. Palming the crystal, he turned it towards the youma.

"Gryphon Star Whirlwind," he stated, as calmly as he could.

The green light in the crystal expanded, unleashing a gust of strong wind with star-shaped crystals trapped within it. The youma shrieked as she was trapped by the wind and stars, falling into a huddle. Just before she exploded, she declared, "Curse you, General Nephrite!"

Tuxedo Gryphon dropped to one knee, as his transformation faded. His green eyes met the green eyes of Sailor Jupiter. Her own transformation faded. Lita took a step backward, just before her vision went black.

* * *

"_Ah, Princess Makoto," stated Queen Serenity, walking into the palace kitchens. "Here is where you have been hiding."_

_The younger princess of Jupiter looked up from the bowl of chocolate cake batter. "Your majesty, how might I help you?"_

"_As you know, we are working on an alliance with the kingdom of Terra. As such, we have visitors from Terra on the Moon. I've assigned you to escort one of them."_

"_Me, your majesty?" Makoto bobbled the mixing bowl. "Surely Athena would be better qualified."_

"_No, Makoto, I feel you would indeed be the perfect person to escort this visitor."_

"_Excuse me, your majesty," stated a deep voice. A tall man with long brown hair walked into the kitchen. "I could no longer resist the delicious aroma coming from this room."_

"_Princess Makoto of Jupiter, may I present General Nephrite of Terra," stated the queen. "General Nephrite, I present Princess Makoto of Jupiter. I shall leave the two of you to get acquainted."_

_The silver haired woman swept out of the kitchen._

_Nephrite bowed. "Greetings, Princess. Is that chocolate cake batter?"_

"_It's an ancient recipe from Pluto, actually," she said, nodding._

"_Might I be of assistance? I have studied with the best of our royal chefs?"_

_The princess let out a most unladylike snort, before paling in horror over her behavior. However, the general did not seem appalled in the least, not the way most other nobles did. Instead, his smile only grew broader as two pairs of green eyes met._

_

* * *

Makoto strode through the royal rose gardens, determined to find the Moon Princess. The five princesses were supposed to be getting together to discuss the upcoming ball, the one that would mean the formalizing of the treaty between Terra and the Silver Millennium. Unfortunately, the blonde princess of the Moon was nowhere to be found._

_Brown hair fell around her shoulders as she navigated her way down the rose surrounded paths. Suddenly, she collided with something taller than herself. Makoto stepped back and hurriedly muttered an apology. She had run straight into General Nephrite._

"_Good evening, Princess Makoto. Where are you going in such a hurry?" he stated, giving her a gracious bow._

_She gave a slightly wobbly curtsey. "I am looking for Princess Serenity. She is late for a rather important meeting."_

_Nephrite cocked his head to one side and listened intently for a moment. "Give her just a little bit. She is with Endymion at the moment. It would probably be best not to disturb them just now."_

"_But we are already going to be late!" Makoto frowned. "Minako will not be happy with us."_

"_Then it will not matter if you give them a couple more minutes, will it?"_

_Her frown deepened._

"_Um, Princess Makoto, it is my understanding that the upcoming ball lands on your birthday," stated the general, appearing slightly nervous._

_She nodded, "It does, indeed."_

"_Then allow me to give you an early birthday present."_

_He handed her a small wooden box. Opening it, the princess of Jupiter found a pair of earrings, made of pink coral and made to look like roses._

"_General, I cannot accept," she started._

"_Nonsense!" Nephrite lifted out the earrings and slid them into the piercings in her ears. "There. They look absolutely perfect."_

_A blush covered Makoto's face, as she went completely speechless. As she struggled to find words to thank the general, Serenity and Endymion emerged from one of the secluded grottos of the rose garden._

"_Makoto! What time is it?" Serenity demanded._

"_Time for us to go," remarked the Jovian princess, regaining her voice. "Minako is going to kill us as it is!"_

_The two princesses turned and fled from the garden._

_

* * *

Minako shoved Makoto in front of the full-length mirror. The Jovian Princess had to bite back a gasp. The forest green dress the Princess of Venus has selected looked amazing. Pink roses twined all around the skirt and the bodice, all of them matching the earrings Nephrite had given her, several days earlier._

"_Minako, you are an absolute genius!" Serenity shrieked, coming over to admire Makoto's ball gown. "Nephrite definitely won't be able to take her eyes off of her."_

_Minako giggled. "That is precisely the point!"_

_

* * *

Makoto hung close to the wall, watching nervously for Nephrite._

"_You know, I really need to get the recipe for your cheesecake, Princess Makoto."_

_She turned her head to see Nephrite standing next to her. Laughter shone in his green eyes._

"_Good evening, General Nephrite. I'm sure you could convince me to part with the recipe."_

_He grinned and slid a plate towards her. Looking down, she noticed another wooden box buried under the small mound of cakes and finger sandwiches. She lifted it out and pressed open the lid. Nestled in the center of black velvet was a coral rose with pale green leaves._

"_Makoto, Princess of Jupiter, would you do me the great honor of becoming my wife?"_

_A blush spread across her face as she nodded. "I would be honored to become your wife."_

_

* * *

Makoto glanced over towards the platform where Princess Ami and General Zoicite were making their farewells. A small, blue-haired boy hovered as Princess Ami's side. Her gaze turned downward and looked at the tops of the two children who stood before her._

"_Makoto, I'm sorry. You know I have to go. I am needed on Terra."_

_She refused to turn to look at the man who spoke to her. Tears clung to the corners of her eyes._

"_Makoto, Jedite is like a brother to me. I can't just leave him there. Please, you have to understand."_

_Her hands were suddenly clasped in his own. Finally, she lifted her eyes and met her gaze. Unshed tears glistened in her eyes, tears he wouldn't allow to fall. _

"_I will come back to you, Makoto. I swear to you that I will come back to you, all of you." He knelt down and met the gaze of the two children in front of her. "You two behave, do you hear me?"_

_Both heads bobbed up and down._

_He rose and pressed a quick kiss to Makoto's lips, swearing once again that he would return. Nephrite turned and walked over to where General Malachite was bowing to Endymion and Serenity. He delivered his own bow and disappeared through the transporter to Terra._

_* * *_

Lita opened her eyes to find herself cradled in Nate's arms. With a yell, she shoved him away, tumbling across the floor.

"Stay away from me, you traitor!" Lita yelled, getting to her feet. "You just stay away from me, Nephrite."

"Lita, please, hear me out!" Nate began, but she merely shook her head.

Turning on her heel, she ran out of the restaurant.

Looking around Nate sighed and walked over to lift a table back into its upright position. All around him, people were reawakening, and there was no sign of Sailor Gryphon or Jovian Knight.

In a back corner, a dark haired teenaged boy grinned, his blue violet eyes focused on Nate Zenith.


	7. Something in the Wind

**Disclaimer:** I do NOT own Sailor Moon or any of the canon characters. Derek, Drake, and the others are my creation, however.

**Author's Note:** This is set during the Sailor Moon R break-up, when Darien is having the nightmares and breaks up with Serena. However, I have decided to make Rini a little older. She's now about ten years old, instead of four, just because of the plot line. Also, the other scouts are older, as everyone is now in high school except Hotaru. But, hey, this is AU. Also, when I refer to the five divisions of Terra, I refer to them by their direction from Elysian, thus North and South America, being to the East of Elysian, are the Eastern Division, Africa and the Middle East are the Western Division. Europe, Russia, Greenland, and Iceland are all the Northern Division, while Australia, Antarctica, and the Pacific Islands are the Southern Division. The rest of Asia would be Elysian. Galaxis High School is my creation, here. Its sort-of replacing the school Hotaru, Michelle, and Amara attended during the Heartsnatchers episodes, but since that isn't happening, I gave them a new school. (Too I can't remember the name!) This would be the school that Serena, Jason, Zack, Amara, and Michelle are attending.

Chapter Seven: Something in the Wind

"Coffee, again, Darien?" Andrew asked, pulling out the mug.

The black-haired man nodded. "Any sign of her, Andrew?"

Knowing exactly who his friend was referring to, the blonde man shook his head.

The door opened, admitting Amy, Lita, Mina, and Raye, all having just gotten out of school. Derek came running through, just behind them.

"The normal, ladies?" Andrew asked, as everyone settled into their normal corner booth.

All four girls nodded, while Darien shot Derek a look as the young boy went to open his mouth. "Yours is already ordered, kid."

Andrew returned, carrying a tray covered with hamburgers, fries, and milkshakes. With ease, he deposited one of each in front of them, including Darien and Derek.

"So, anything new happening?" Raye asked, lifting a fry.

"Well, there is what happened yesterday," stated Andrew, looking cautiously at Darien. "With Serena and Rini."

"Wait a second! Serena's in America!" Artemis yelped.

The cats now had complete freedom to roam around the arcade during Scout meetings. More often than not, Luna was on the computer, using the information on it to try and figure out what the Negaverse was doing. The black cat was still sitting in front of the screen, in fact, attempting to get information on the Tuxedo Knights and the Outer Scouts. The white cat had been sitting on Mina's lap, but now he stood on the table, his blue eyes focused on Andrew.

Derek shook his head. "Not anymore. She and Rini were here, yesterday, with one of Serena's cousins. At least, that's who he said he was."

"But Serena's not back at Juuban," stated Lita. "She's not at your school, is she, Raye?"

The priestess shook her head. "No, and I'd have seen her if she was. She has to be going to a different school, now. The question would be why? Is she avoiding us for some reason?"

"So, exactly what happened while she was here, yesterday?" Artemis interrupted. "Right now that might be more important."

"A friend of theirs brought in four medallions," explained Andrew. "And we actually got a good look at what one of these really is."

Amy nodded and pulled the small coin out. "Derek was able to read what was actually on here."

"It's in Ancient Lunarian, the language of the Silver Millennium," he explained. "I've studied it for a long time, now."

"So, what did the coin actually say?"

Derek sighed and picked it back up. "'This coin is the property of King Poseidon of Neptune, father of the Princess Michiru. He was sealed first by the Thunder Gryphon's Heiress, before being released and resealed by his own descendant.' And that's exactly, word for word, what it says."

"But the Outer Scouts and the Tuxedo Knights have never left medallions behind before. We'd have more than one if they had," observed Mina. "Why would they leave four behind now?"

"We suspect that Serena's friend could actually have been Sailor Neptune," was Darien's response. "They both have the same aquamarine hair."

Derek nodded, "So, it stands to reason that Serena's cousin might well be one of the Tuxedo Knights."

"I already know exactly who the Tuxedo Knights are," growled Lita, her expression suddenly dark. "They're those traitorous Dark Generals, formerly the royal guard for Prince Endymion before they decided to start serving Beryl."

"But the generals were killed when we were fighting Beryl," declared Mina. "How could they have come back from the dead as the Tuxedo Knights?"

"And Dark General Zoicite was female, if you recall. All four Tuxedo Knights are definitely male," added Amy, trying to trigger the memories of her fellow scouts.

Lita snarled. "I know Tuxedo Gryphon is Nephrite. He even admitted it to me."

Amy bit her lip. _And you are ignoring what I said. You can't think past your perceived betrayal by Nephrite, even though it wasn't actually him. You can only see what you remember._

_As long as you live, so do I._ Amy blinked in surprise as the statement was whispered in her head. That had been her own voice. Then, she heard the statement again, but this time, it was in Zack's voice, or was it Zoicite's? _As long as you live, so do I._

"Really, Lita, we can't know for sure, but it would certainly explain a lot," stated Raye. "Especially about why they are blocking me."

"Well, on a more normal note," stated Mina, "I have a meeting in a few minutes, so we need to conclude this discussion."

"Oh?" Raye asked, catching the glint in their leader's eye. "Is he cute?"

Mina giggled and flushed a faint pink. "Very. And he's the best photographer I've had yet."

She reached into her bookbag and pulled out a thick orange binder. Flipping it open, she revealed sheets of photos of herself, in various poses and costumes.

"Mina's right. These are the best ones I've ever seen!" Raye exclaimed, turning through the pages.

Lita stretched out a hand, her anger at Nephrite temporarily forgotten, stopping Raye on one photo. "This one is my favorite!"

In the photo, Mina wore a simple orange sundress and thin-strapped tan sandals, her feet curled up under her and her head tilted up towards the sun. Even in such casual clothes and dream-like pose, she looked exactly like their determined leader.

A flash of blue caught Andrew's eye. Looking up, he saw an icy blue convertible pull up in front of the Crown. A blonde young man jumped out of the front seat and hurried towards the door.

"We might be able to get some answers now," stated Andrew. "Serena's cousin, Zack, just arrived."

A blush spread across Amy's face. Mina's eyebrow quirked upward, as she saw the change in color on the genius's face. The blonde man strode into the Fruit Parlor, flipping his ponytail back over his shoulder. He walked over to stand next to the table.

"You're Serena's cousin, right?" Lita demanded, her green eyes narrowing.

"Actually," stated Amy, her blush brightening, "I would like to introduce you to my boyfriend, Zachary Stone."

Zack looked down at her, surprise in his green eyes. "Your boyfriend? Really, nymph?"

"Well, aren't you?" Amy demanded, looking up at him through her eyelashes.

A grin spread across his face and a gleam appeared in his green eyes. "I suppose, for now."

Her blush went a truly vivid scarlet. A ring of purest blue crystal flashed through her mind, resting on the ring finger of her left hand. One day, very soon it seemed, they would be engaged again. And she found it hard to wait for that day.

"What, precisely, does that mean?" Raye demanded, glaring at him.

Darien, however, interjected, "Stone? Are you by chance related to Malcolm Stone, the photography student up at the college?"

Zack looked over at Raye. "Right now, what I said is none of your business. It's between me and Amy. When the time is right, we'll let you know what that means."

"Excuse me," stated Darien.

Zack ignored him, instead choosing to drop a kiss on the top of Amy's head.

Mina glanced between the two, before deciding to interfere. "So, you don't happen to know a Malcolm Stone, who happens to be an extremely good photographer?"

"Of course. He's my older brother." Zack grinned. "You must be Mina Aino. I've seen your photo quite frequently, these days."

Darien frowned. It was obvious that Zack was ignoring him, as the girls, Andrew, and Derek proceeded to question him, while his own questions went unanswered. Mina took it upon herself to act as intermediary, occasionally taking Darien's questions and rephrasing them in order to get his answers.

Amy also noticed that Zack was refusing to acknowledge Darien. Unlike yesterday, where he had merely been cold and distant upon learning his identity, it was apparently easier to just ignore him.

_I suppose he's still mad at Darien for hurting Serena. And, Darien is his prince, but even he refuses to see who Zack really is._ Amy thought, looking between the two. _Darien never questioned if they were really his generals who betrayed him._

The echoed statement appeared in her head again. _As long as you live, so do I._

_But, what does it mean?_ Amy demanded of herself. _It's not like I can ask Zack here._

"Well, Amy, are you ready to go? There's something I wanted to show you, a little experiment I was working on," stated Zack, lifting up her bookbag. "Besides, I just got my license in Tokyo."

She nodded and rose to her feet. "I'll see all of you tomorrow."

"And we expect details, Amy," Mina hissed into the bluenette's ear.

Everyone rose and walked with them towards the door. Lita and Raye practically radiated disapproval of Zack.

People were crowding the streets, screaming, as they were leaving the Crown. Sailor Uranus leapt across the rooftops, a youma right on her heels. Every time she turned around to attack the monster, it evaded her. Its attacks, however, were taking their toll on the blonde Outer Scout.

Zack's gaze darted around, looking for some place where he could safely transform.

_Amara's in trouble! _He struggled not to scream in frustration. _And I can't get anywhere to help her. All of the Inner Scouts and Tuxedo Mask are standing next to me and we can't help her. Not with all these people around._

His fear and worry increased as a tall, muscular man dropped out of thin air behind his half-sister. The man wore a yellow toga that fluttered in a harsh wind.

"Hello, daughter mine," stated the man, stretching a hand out towards Sailor Uranus. "Come. Join the Negaverse in our fight, my dear Haruka."

She slapped his hand aside. "I am not your daughter."

"Haruka, do not fight me!" He yelled. "No one crosses King Caelus of the world of Uranus. Not even his own daughter."

Sailor Uranus reached into her sub space pocket and pulled out her saber.

"Space Sword Blaster!" She threw a blade of energy from the sword, sending it at King Caelus and his pet youma.

Both of them leapt out of the way of the attack.

"Neptune Deep Submerge!" Sailor Neptune appeared, her aquamarine ball of energy speeding towards King Caelus.

He merely deflected the attack with a strong wind summoned with a wave of his hand.

Another figure leapt up onto the rooftops. Her short aquamarine hair ruffled in the wind as her short navy boots landed on the roof. Lifting her hand, she gathered a ball of aquamarine energy in the palm of her hand.

"Tidal World Submerge!" She unleashed the energy, throwing it with all her might.

Once again, the youma managed to avoid the attack. However, she stumbled back, becoming impaled on a saber identical to the one currently in Sailor Uranus's hands.

"Neo-Neptune, stay out of this. It's not your fight."

The youma collapsed into a pile of dust, revealing a blonde girl in a blue scout uniform with yellow bows. Her hair waved down to hang just below her chin. Dark blue ballet slippers covered her feet with ribbons winding halfway up to her knees. She slid the saber back into her sub space pocket and turned to face King Caelus.

"And who are you?" King Caelus demanded.

The new scout smiled. "I am Sailor Neo-Uranus, leader of the Neo-Outer Scouts."

Lifting her hands above her head, she gathered up a sphere of yellow energy. King Caelus stumbled backward as the his winds abandoned him and joined her sphere of energy.

"Neo-World Shaking!"

The attack shot forward, hitting King Caelus squarely in the chest. The energy continued through him, pushing a shadow out before it. The shadow disintegrated as the energy collided with it.

The former sovereign of Uranus dropped to one knee, turning translucent as he knelt.

"Hurry, before another shadow comes," he gasped, his dark eyes pleading with the girl. "Haruka, I am sorry. I wasn't strong enough to resist him."

Neo-Uranus stepped forward, lifting a yellow, spherical crystal into the air. "Grandfather Uranus, give me grace! Neo-Uranus Power!"

Yellow light surrounded them both and King Uranus disappeared into the crystal. Cheers erupted from the crowd as the light faded. Neo-Uranus swayed slightly and she stumbled forward. Neo-Neptune was instantly beside her and the two of them disappeared over the rooftops.

Sailor Neptune and Sailor Uranus both jumped away, themselves. Sailor Uranus paused briefly to collect the silver medallion that still rested on the ground after the youma was destroyed.

Zack couldn't help but notice the limp in her left leg as the blonde Outer Scout turned away with her partner.

"Zack, are you still sure you want to show me whatever it was you wanted to show me?" Amy demanded, as the crowd began to disperse. She knew the other Inner Scouts would want to discuss what had just happened, but she also wanted to know what Zack had planned.

He nodded, vigorously. "Of course I do!"

The bluenette opened the passenger side door and slid into the seat of the icy blue convertible. Together, the two of them drove off down the street.

* * *

Zack pulled up in front of a large white mansion on the very outskirts of Tokyo. A large gate sat at the base of the drive, with a silver crescent moon set at the very top of the arch.

"Welcome to our humble abode," joked another blonde man, rising from his seat on the steps.

"Amy, meet my annoying cousin, Jason Specter, also known as Tuxedo Phoenix and General Jedite. Jason, be more polite to Amy. She is Sailor Mercury and a good friend of Serena's." Zack stated, opening Amy's door for her.

The three of them walked inside to a large room full of chairs and sofas.

"The gang's all here. Well, except for Trista and Drake," declared Jason, preceding them into the room.

"Amy! I'm glad you could make it!" Serena rose from her seat in the center of the room.

The blonde princess ran over and flung her arms around the bluenette genius.

"I'm glad to see you again, too, Serena," whispered Amy. "I've really missed my best friend."

Serena smiled and led her friend over to a short white sofa. The two of them sat down as the others moved to take their own places, Zack and Serena introducing them as they sat. Nick Zenith sank down onto a green beanbag chair beside the sofa. Hotaru bounced over to sit next to Rini on the sofa directly opposite Serena and Amy. Michelle glided over to the aquamarine footstool beside a yellow armchair. Amara currently occupied the armchair, her left ankle resting on the footstool beside Michelle. Jason spun a wooden chair around backward and straddled it, while Zack sat down to sit at Amy's feet. Only Malcolm remained standing, watching the view out the wide window.

"It's so nice to meet all of you," stated Amy. "For some of you it is the first time."

She looked at Amara, Michelle, and Hotaru as she said that. Indeed, she had never gotten the chance to meet the Outer Scouts in the Silver Millennium.

"It would be better if Trista and Drake were here, too," observed Nick. "So, what exactly happened today?"

* * *

Late that night, Raye once again sat before the Sacred Fire. She was trying, once again, to see something about the new enemies. In her hands she held the medallion that Serena had left with Amy. In the fire, a new barrier appeared in front of the five creatures that had previously blocked her. A crescent moon shimmered in the center of the barrier.

"Why is Serena blocking me, too?" Raye demanded, furiously.

She rose to her feet and stalked out of the Fire Room. Striding into her room, she picked up he cell phone Mina had given her and dialed Serena's number.

"Come on, Serena. Pick up the phone."

However, it only continued to ring, until, finally, the voicemail clicked on.

"Hi! You've reached Serena Tsukino." Serena's cheerful voice came through the speaker. "Leave a message and I'll try to get back to you!"

Raye let out a snarl. "You can't keep ignoring us, Serena! We know you're back in Tokyo! You won't be able to hide from us, you Meatball Head!"

She hung up the phone and dropped back on her bed.

"What don't you want me to see, Serena? What's so important that you have to protect it, even from me?"

* * *

Thank you to everyone who has reviewed! Hearing from me lets me know people actually do care about what I'm writing! PriestessHelene, I especially want to thank you. Your comment about Serena's life in America is what got me started thinking about Hearts of Le Lune. I am actually working on it, but I probably won't actually get into it until I finish this one, though! Everyone else who has reviewed, I thank you, too. Keep the reviews coming!

Bookworm0913


	8. For Lunar Earth

**Disclaimer:** I do NOT own Sailor Moon or any of the canon characters. Derek, Drake, and the others are my creation, however.

**Author's Note:**This is set during the Sailor Moon R break-up, when Darien is having the nightmares and breaks up with Serena. However, I have decided to make Rini a little older. She's now about ten years old, instead of four, just because of the plot line. Also, the other scouts are older, as everyone is now in high school except Hotaru. But, hey, this is AU. Also, when I refer to the five divisions of Terra, I refer to them by their direction from Elysian, thus North and South America, being to the East of Elysian, are the Eastern Division, Africa and the Middle East are the Western Division. Europe, Russia, Greenland, and Iceland are all the Northern Division, while Australia, Antarctica, and the Pacific Islands are the Southern Division. The rest of Asia would be Elysian. Galaxis High School is my creation, here. Its sort-of replacing the school Hotaru, Michelle, and Amara attended during the Heartsnatchers episodes, but since that isn't happening, I gave them a new school. (Too I can't remember the name!) This would be the school that Serena, Jason, Zack, Amara, and Michelle are attending.

Chapter Eight: For Lunar Earth

Tuxedo Sphinx and Sailor Mercury found themselves facing a youma on their own. The two ice warriors had been on a date at a local cafe when the monster appeared, using flower petals to attack innocent bystanders.

Sailor Mercury leapt over the low wall surrounding the outdoor cafe in order to avoid another attack from the youma. Unfortunately, the edge of the attack caught her and she landed quite hard on the concrete sidewalk on the other side.

"Sailor Mercury, are you alright?" Tuxedo Sphinx demanded, landing beside her.

She nodded, accepting the hand he held out to her and allowing him to pull her to her feet. The youma leaped up, coming after them. Neither of them paused to think as they began gathering energy for their attacks. Their hands were still clasped together and the energy gathered at that point. Words echoed in both of their minds, and they called them out.

"Duo Polar Freezing Blast!"

The energy shot forward, a ball of icy blue power. Upon contact with the youma, it turned the monster into a block of solid ice. The youma ice cube shuddered briefly before falling down into a pile of fine ice powder. A gold coin rolled out from the pile to land at Tuxedo Sphinx' feet.

"Wow! That attack was pretty powerful," observed Tuxedo Sphinx, kneeling to pick up the coin. "We definitely need to work on that one so we can use it more often."

Sailor Mercury nodded. "We'll have a chance to do that, once the other scouts find out I worked with you tonight."

He looked up at her. "Why?"

"Sailor Jupiter knows that Tuxedo Gryphon is Nephrite. Now she has the others convinced that you are the Dark Generals and not to be trusted."

"And you cannot change their opinion?"

She shook her head. "They aren't listening."

He sighed and turned the coin over in his hand.

"So, who is it this time?" Sailor Mercury demanded, trying to figure the best way to phrase her next question. It was still annoying her that she hadn't been able to ask Zack about his attitude toward Darien.

Green eyes widened behind his blue mask.

"The writing is Ancient Terran, not Ancient Lunarian. It says this coin belongs to Queen Gaia, mother of Endymion." He slowly rose to his feet, the medallion still clutched tightly in his hand. "But Queen Gaia would never do something like this. Someone has to be setting us up."

"Whoever it is used my parents against us, too, Sphinx," she reminded him. "Someone is using the past against us, and we don't remember enough of it to fight back."

He nodded. "I'm just hoping Tuxedo Cerberus and Sailor Pluto can find something to help us out."

"And speaking of Endymion, do you want to explain your attitude towards your prince?" Sailor Mercury demanded.

The blonde masked man sighed. "I currently am sworn to serve Princess Serenity, not Prince Endymion."

"That's not an explanation."

"He broke her heart, Mercury. How could he have done something like that? On purpose? Even what the four of us did to you wasn't on purpose. We fought with everything we had to get back to you after Beryl captured us. And, on top of that, he can't even recognize us, his own guard."

Sailor Mercury lifted her hand to rest it against Tuxedo Sphinx' cheek. "Even Princess Serenity didn't remember who she was until she had her Silver Crystal. Endymion is no where near ready to have his Golden Crystal. Once he has that, I have no doubt he will remember you."

Tuxedo Sphinx nodded. "We should be going. Emergency crews will be here soon, and we can't be seen here."

The two of them turned and took off into the night.

* * *

Across town, Sailor Crystal Crescent stared down at another medallion. Light flashed off the polished silver. Sailor Mini Moon walked over to stand beside the kneeling scout.

"What's wrong?"

Sailor Crystal Crescent disappeared in a flash of white light, leaving Serena Tsukino kneeling on the cold cement.

"The coin has a crescent moon on it. The writing says Queen Serenity of the Silver Millennium, mother of Princess Serenity, in Ancient Lunarian."

Pink light swirled around Mini Moon, leaving Rini standing beside her.

"I need to get this back to Zack for him to analyze." Serena rose to her feet.

White sneakers squeaked on the ground as she walked away from the battle ground, back towards the nearby parking lot. Rini hurried after her.

As they entered the parking lot, Serena froze. Two figures in matching green jackets were standing just inside the parking lot entrance.

"Serena? Rini?" Darien's voice sounded in her ears, a sound she still dearly longed for. "What are you two doing out so late?"

Serena forced herself to ignore him, walking past both him and Derek, towards her pale pink convertible.

"Serena, please, just let me explain what happened." The dark haired man stepped closer to the car.

The blonde shot a pained look at her ex-boyfriend and slid into the driver's seat. Rini swept past Darien, but was stopped by a hand on her shoulder.

"Rini, please, help us convince Serena to listen to Darien," Derek whispered in her ear.

Her crimson eyes met his blue ones, her voice a hiss loud enough only he could hear. "Why should I be helping you, _big brother_?"

She darted past him, climbing into the car beside Serena.

Suddenly, silver thorns surrounded the entire parking lot. A female figure, dressed in dark blue armor, with long white hair, landed just in front of Serena's car.

"Hello, pretties. Where are the generals, Princess? I know you know where to find them," stated the youma, striding towards them.

A rose shot out and its stem sliced the youma's cheek.

Tuxedo Mask stood in the parking lot, another rose in his hand. Derek cowered just behind the black cloak.

Serena slid out of the driver's seat of her car, a white locket gripped in her hand.

"Moon Royal Crescent Power!"

A blinding flash of white light brought the scent of roses into the air. When the light faded, a sailor scout in white, gold, and silver stood there. Silver blonde hair fluttered around her as a gold rose fell into her hand.

"I am Sailor Crystal Crescent, and you will not lay a finger on the Generals."

Rini ran up next to her, a pink, heart-shaped broach in her hand. The youma didn't wait for the pink-haired girl to speak her transformation phrase. Small white discs flew out and hit the girl. Her locket went tumbling across the parking lot before it shattered. Fighting back tears, Rini ran over and scooped up the pieces, carefully pulling out a small, shimmering crystal.

"Please, Silver Crystal, if you can hear me, let me help Sailor Crystal Crescent," she pleaded, cradling the crystal to her chest.

"Royal Crystal Moon Beams!" Sailor Crystal Crescent pointed her rose wand towards the moon, directly above the youma.

Shafts of white light surrounded the monster, making sharp red burns where they touched her. Another barrage of discs hit Sailor Crystal Crescent, interrupting her attack.

Derek ran away from the monster to kneel beside Rini. She was still begging the crystal to help her. Her tearful pleas were going unanswered. As the lavender haired boy approached, the crystal jumped out of Rini's hands and into his. As soon as the Silver Crystal left Rini's possession, a sphere of golden light appeared, pulsing, hovering in front of her face.

Before them, Sailor Crystal Crescent and Tuxedo Mask continued to fight the youma, unsuccessfully. Attacks were dodged easily, or if they landed, were easily shaken off. The monster paused, however, as a shiver rippled through the air.

Derek and Rini both looked up as two women materialized, floating down to the ground.

The first, dressed in a shimmering white dress, had long silvery hair pulled up in the same bun and ponytail style as Serena. Wings sprouted from the bow at her back. A golden crescent moon glowed in the center of her forehead.

"Mother," breathed Sailor Crystal Crescent, as she turned into Princess Serenity.

Tuxedo Mask gulped nervously when he saw the second figure. Ebony hair tumbled loosely around her shoulders and down to her feet. Her simple black dress only emphasized the pallor of her skin. Wide, midnight blue eyes focused on Tuxedo Mask.

"Endymion, my son, it has been far too long," stated the ebony haired woman. "I have missed you."

Tuxedo Mask faded away to reveal Endymion standing there, in his dark armor from the Silver Millennium. He took a cautious step towards his mother.

"Gaia, now is not the time for reunions," admonished Queen Serenity.

Queen Gaia nodded. "We are here for those traitorous generals of Terra."

Derek rose, the Silver Crystal still in his hands. Queen Serenity, Queen Gaia, and their youma all turned as the Crystal pulsed brightly. However, all three shook it off and sent attacks barreling down at Princess Serenity and Prince Endymion. Rini screamed. The golden glow in front of her brightened, joining with a sudden burst from the Silver Crystal. Both Princess Serenity and Prince Endymion closed their eyes against the bright light, as the attacks from the Negaverse froze in mid-air.

* * *

_Princess Serenity ran down the halls of the Moon Palace. The delegation from Terra was supposed to be arriving. Her mother had ordered her to wait in her room as the Queen had wanted her daughter to have a dramatic entrance. The blodne princess wasn't paying attention as she ran. Suddenly, she collided with a solid figure. She looked up into a pair of midnight blue eyes, under a mop of ebony hair. _

_"Hello. Where are you off to in such a hurry?" The man's voice was full of laughter._

_"Oh, I'm so sorry," stated Serenity, dropping her gaze. "I was on my way to meet with my mother. If you will excuse me, I am running late."_

_Another blonde girl came hurrying over, an identical twin to Princess Serenity in all but hair style and gown._

_"Serenity, your mother is looking for you," hissed the new arrival. _

_Serenity's face paled. "Then we must hurry, Minako."_

_With a glance over her shoulder, Serenity disappeared down the corridor, trailing Minako behind her._

_

* * *

_

"Can you believe Endymion allowed Haruka to stand with his guard during the wedding?" Minako laughed as she fastened the veil to Serenity's head.

Michiru looked up from fixing the hem on Ami's gown. "Haruka spends so much time with them, training, they almost consider her one of them. And it seemed only right. Now the only one of Serena's scouts who won't be in the wedding party is Setsuna. She said she'd rather stand with the Queen, anyway."

"I'm glad it all managed to work out," added Makoto, spinning around to examine her gown. "Nephrite and I spent hours making sure that the food will be the best it can be. And that was hard enough to do on its own, aside from fitting it in between fittings and rehearsals."

"And to think, after Serenity's wedding is over, we have to plan Ami's wedding to Zoicite, and then Makoto's to Nephrite, and then mine to Malachite," giggled Minako, stepping away to admire her handiwork. "Rei, I am so sorry about things not working out for you and Jedite."

____

The ebony-haired princess shook her head. "Don't be, Minako. Things can always change."

* * *

_"And do you, Prince Endymion, take Princess Serenity to be your lawfully wedded wife, till death do you part?" Helios inquired._

_Endymion and Serenity stood before the white-haired, child priest of Elysian. Endymion's black armor was polished until everything was reflected in it, while Serenity wore a pure white gown, reminiscent of her mothers, with a long veil covering her hair._

_The prince's midnight gaze met the bright blue of his princess. "Yes, I do."_

_"Princess Serenity, do you take Prince Endymion to be your lawfully wedded husband, till death do you part?"_

_"I do." Serenity's voice was barely louder than a whisper, but it still carried through the small temple._

_Behind Endymion, in their grey uniforms, stood Generals Malachite, Jedite, Nephrite, and Zoicite, with Haruka standing just behind Zoicite, in a yellow and navy gown. Minako, Rei, Makoto, Ami, and Michiru all stood behind Serenity, in their respective colors of their planets. All of them were blinking back tears as their Princess was married to the prince of Terra._

_

* * *

_

_Serenity stood beside Endymion as General Jedite entered the room._

_"Your highness, I understand that you need someone to go investigate the recent activities back home," stated the General. "I volunteer myself to go."_

_Endymion shook his head. "Jedite, I need you here."_

_"You have Malachite, Nephrite, and Zoicite. You don't need me."_

_"This is because of King Ares of Mars, isn't it?" Serenity observed. "It's about how he won't allow you to marry Rei."_

_The blonde general nodded, embarrassed. The princess stepped forward, her hands folded over the slight bluge of her abdomen._

_"Go, then, Jedite. My mother and I will work with King Ares to allow your marriage," she stated, placing a kiss on his cheek._

_Endymion nodded, placing a hand on Jedite's shoulder. "Send us regular reports, General."_

_Jedite nodded and walked out of the room._

_

* * *

_

_"Something has to have happened to Jedite," growled Nephrite. "He's been sending us regular reports for five years now. To suddenly have no contact from him for three months..."_

_Malachite nodded. "We need to go after him, Endymion. There is no other choice."_

_The prince dropped his head down into his hands. "I know. How soon do you plan to leave? I need to know if I am to come with you."_

_"Absolutely not," snapped Malachite. "Your highness, you must stay here. We cannot risk you."_

_Serenity walked into the room, a five year old boy preceding her. Lavender hair flopped into midnight blue eyes._

_"Papa!" The boy cried out and ran over to the prince, climbing into his lap._

_"Has anyone told Rei that Jedite is missing?" Serenity inquired, sinking down beside her husband. "Or the other princesses that you will be leaving?"_

_Zoicite nodded. "Ami and I have discussed the possibility of my leaving."_

_"Minako fairly demanded that I go," stated Malachite. "She understands my duty to my brother."_

_Nephrite refused to meet the princess's gaze._

_"We haven't been able to reach Lady Rei yet," added Endymion, ruffling his son's hair. "I was hoping you could get in touch with her."_

_Serenity shook her head. "She's not answering any of my messages, either."_

_Only a few days later, Serenity and Endymion stood beside the teleportation platform, set to take the generals to Terra. The princess blinked back tears as she saw the farewells being exchanged._

_Zoicite embraced Ami before kneeling down before a navy haired child and sending out a bit of magic. Nephrite tried to persuade Makoto to look at him, before he bent down to meet the gaze of two brown-haired twins._

_The actions caused her to tighten her grip on the hand of the little boy who stood before her. Endymion's arm slid reassuringly around her waist._

_Malachite walked over to bow to Serenity and Endymion. "Minako and I said our farewells last night."_

_Endymion nodded. "I understand, Malachite. Good luck to you all."_

_"You look after your princess, Endymion. And take care of the little one as well."_

_The silver haired general rose and walked over to the platform, where he vanished. Nephrite and Zoicite individually made their way over to bow to their sovereigns, giving their own farewells before following their commander._

_"They will be alright, Endy," whispered Serenity._

_Their son shook his lavender head. "No. They won't be coming back."_

_Endymion and Serenity looked down at the little four-year old._

_Midnight blue eyes looked up at them. "I dreamed it. They won't be coming home."_  
_

* * *

_

_"Beryl has completely taken control of Terra," declared Artemis, the white cat running into the dining hall._

_The princesses of the inner planets, as well as Uranus and Neptune, all looked up from the reports they had been reading.  
_

_Queen Serenity looked over at her daughter. "The children are no longer safe here."_

_"No, they are not. We have to contact Sailor Pluto. She's the only one who can take them someplace safe."_

_The green-haired scout, as if summoned by the princess's statement, walked into the room. "Indeed, your highness. I suggest you ready them quickly. Beryl is already on her way here."_

_Princess Serenity rose and nodded to the princesses of the inner planets. "Prepare the children. They leave in an hour."_

_

* * *

Sailor Pluto stood in the center of the ballroom._

_Ami knelt to embrace the blue-haired child, who cradled a sphinx made of ice and crystal. The child looked up at her, his blue eyes nervous. Makoto held up a brave, cheerful face, which belied the tears shimmering in her green eyes. The two twins before her both held baskets full of food, mostly Makoto's own cooking._

_Minako swept into the room, trailing two solemn children behind her. One was a boy with golden hair who carried a small dagger in his hands, while the girl who walked beside him was tugging on the orange bow in her platinum hair._

_"Sailor Pluto, please take good care of them," pleaded the princess of Venus._

_Sailor Pluto bowed her head. "You can count on me, Princess Minako."_

_The two Serenitys entered, with the lavender haired boy in his mother's arms._

_The green-haired scout of Time opened a portal before her as Princess Serenity set her son down. The four year old hurried over to stand with the other children._

_"Wait!"_

_A dark haired figure dressed in red came running into the room. In her arms she carried a sleeping, dark-haired child._

_"Sailor Pluto, please, take him with you."_

_"Princess Rei."_

_The princess of Mars gently set the sleeping boy in the Outer Scout's arms._

_"Please, I need you to keep my son safe."_

_The children around Pluto stared up at the fiery princess who was fighting back tears. Sailor Pluto nodded, before ushering the six children at her feet through the portal._

_"The children shall be safe with me. I promise you all."_

* * *

Princess Serenity opened her eyes as time resumed its normal course. Endymion leaped up and pulled both of them out of the way of the attack.

Rini's gaze was focused again on the golden sphere of light as it solidified into a diamond-shaped crystal. The Golden Crystal of Terra floated down to her broken transformation locket, merging with it. The pink heart glowed and became whole again, with two golden wings on either side of it.

The Silver Crystal in Derek's hands transformed itself into a pure white rose.

He turned to look at the pink haired girl. She nodded and rose to her feet, her new transformation locket held tightly in her hands.

Derek tossed the rose into the air. "Neo-Moon Power!"

The rose spun in the air over Derek's head as both of he and the rose were enveloped in a silver glow. When it faded, a figure in a white tuxedo and top hat held out his white gloved hand. A silver sword with a rose covered hilt dropped down into it. Midnight blue eyes stared out from behind a gold mask and silver flashed on the underside of his white cape.

"Neo-Terra Power!" Rini yelled, holding her new locket in the air.

Gold light swirled around her before fading. She looked down at her new outfit.

"Hey! It's exactly like my Mini Moon outfit!"

Her older brother turned to her. "I don't remember hearing that Mini Moon had wings."

The pink-haired scout turned her head. Sure enough, two pairs of white wings had sprouted from her shoulders.

"Cool!"

"And who are the two of you?" Gaia demanded, realizing the two had transformed.

"I am Lunar Knight," declared the boy formerly known as Derek.

The pink-garbed scout leaped into the air, exclaiming, "And I am Sailor Pegasus. On behalf of the future Terra, we shall punish you!"

"And on behalf of the future Moon," added Lunar Knight, "we shall never give up!"

He lifted his sword and plunged it into the ground. "Lunar Rose Garden!"

Rose covered vines shot out of ground where the sword rested. The vines wound around the youma, squeezing it into dust.

Sailor Pegasus pulled her tiara off of her head. "Pegasus Tiara Magic!"

The tiara turned into two discs as it flew out of Sailor Pegasus's hand, striking both Serenity and Gaia.

Two white roses flew from Lunar Knight's hands, adding their power to Sailor Pegasus's attack. Serenity and Gaia crumpled to the ground, shadows rising out of them.

The Golden Crystal emerged from Sailor Pegasus's locket, while the Silver Crystal rose out of Lunar Knight's sword. In the brilliant flash of light from the crystals, the shadows vanished, leaving only the spirits of Serenity and Gaia behind.

"Hurry, children," urged Serenity.

Lunar Knight lifted the Silver Crystal. "Serenity, bless me. Neo-Moon Power!"

Queen Serenity, in a flash of silver light, slipped inside the Silver Crystal, leaving Lunar Knight to return to being Derek.

"Gaia, grant me wings. Neo-Terra Power!" Sailor Pegasus yelled.

In a blast of gold light, Queen Gaia smiled as she merged with the Golden Crystal and Sailor Pegasus faded back into Rini.

Rini stumbled forward to be caught by Princess Serenity. As her arms surrounded the pink haired girl, the princess vanished and it was Serena Tsukino who lifted the girl into the pink convertible.

Prince Endymion also disappeared, as Darien stepped forward, placing a hand on Derek's shoulder.

"We'll be okay," the lavender haired boy assured him. "That was just so new, to both of us. Rini's been working on Moon Power for a while now, hasn't she?"

Serena nodded and fastened Rini's seat belt. "We really have to be going. We both have school tomorrow, anyway."

She slid back into the driver's seat and drove out of the now thorn-free parking lot.

* * *

Wow! The longest chapter yet, without a doubt! I didn't even think I'd get it up and done this soon! Now, if I can manage this, surely you can manage to click that button down there and leave a message for me. If there's something you don't like, tell me. If there's something you'd like to see, just let me know, and I'll see what I can do!


	9. Silent Darkness

**Disclaimer:** I do NOT own Sailor Moon or any of the canon characters. Derek, Drake, and the others are my creation, however.

**Author's Note:**This is set during the Sailor Moon R break-up, when Darien is having the nightmares and breaks up with Serena. However, I have decided to make Rini a little older. She's now about ten years old, instead of four, just because of the plot line. Also, the other scouts are older, as everyone is now in high school except Hotaru. But, hey, this is AU. Also, when I refer to the five divisions of Terra, I refer to them by their direction from Elysian, thus North and South America, being to the East of Elysian, are the Eastern Division, Africa and the Middle East are the Western Division. Europe, Russia, Greenland, and Iceland are all the Northern Division, while Australia, Antarctica, and the Pacific Islands are the Southern Division. The rest of Asia would be Elysian. Galaxis High School is my creation, here. Its sort-of replacing the school Hotaru, Michelle, and Amara attended during the Heartsnatchers episodes, but since that isn't happening, I gave them a new school. (Too I can't remember the name!) This would be the school that Serena, Jason, Zack, Amara, and Michelle are attending.

Chapter Nine: Silent Darkness

"Yay! No school tomorrow!" Rini smiled as she skipped down the sidewalk, next to Hotaru.

The dark haired girl let out a nervous laugh. She smoothed the blue skirt of her Juuban Junior High uniform, the one Serena had personally altered for her. It had surprised everyone when she had insisted on going to Juuban rather than Galaxis like the others. However, she had been determined to be allowed to pretend to be normal.

"Hey, Hotaru! Wait up!"

A lavender haired boy, looking extremely uncomfortable in the boys Juuban Junior High uniform, came running up to the dark haired girl. "You left this on your desk."

"Hello, Derek," grumbled Rini, looking up at him through narrowed ruby eyes.

The boy looked down at her. "Hey, Rini! Want to come to the Crown? I know you want one of Andrew's milkshakes."

The two girls turned to look at each other. Pleading shone in Rini's eyes, while Hotaru's violet ones were serious.

"Rini, you know Serena will be upset if we don't head straight home," began Hotaru.

The pink haired girl began to pout. "But, Hotaru, I haven't had one of Andrew's milkshakes in weeks."

"Oh, fine," sighed Hotaru, trying to ignore the pout on her friend's face.

The three of them continued to walk down the street. They had just reached the door of the Crown when the black haired girl stopped. Her dark violet eyes went wide.

"Hotaru, what is it?" Rini demanded.

The dark girl shook her head and followed the other two into the Crown. She reached into her pocket and pressed a button on the communicator she carried. Inside, Derek walked over to a booth were three sixteen year old girls sat, one blonde, one brunette, and one bluenette.

"Hello, Mina, Lita, Amy," stated Derek, sinking onto the seat beside Mina. "You already know Rini. And this is Hotaru Tomoe. She attends the same school as me."

Hotaru smiled as she walked up to the table.

"Hotaru, Rini, sit down. Join us," stated Lita, patting the seat beside her.

Andrew walked over to the table, just as Rini and Hotaru joined the group. "Rini, you're back again. Another milkshake? The Serena Special, perhaps?"

"You actually have it on the menu now?" Rini asked.

"Under that exact name, too." He nodded. "Though you and Derek both seem to like it, too."

"And for you, Hotaru?" Amy asked.

The dark haired girl shook her head. "Nothing for me, thank you."

Rini looked at her friend. "Are you sure, Hotaru?"

She nodded, just as the window beside the door shattered. A youma swung through the now open pane. She was dressed completely in black, like a ninja.

"Where are the generals?" The youma demanded of them.

Lita rose to her feet, snarling. "Not here, obviously."

Derek bent over and whispered in Rini's ear. "Andrew knows about the scouts. Does Hotaru? We need to be able to fight this monster."

"Hotaru is a scout," answered Rini, smugly.

Rini pulled out her winged heart locket, nodding to Hotaru, while Derek lifted his rose out of his pocket.

"Neo-Terra Power!" Rini yelled.

Derek threw his rose into the air. "Neo-Moon Power!"

In two flashes of light, Sailor Pegasus and Lunar Knight stood in the center of the Crown, ready to do battle.

In understanding, Hotaru drew out her own transformation wand. "Saturn Star Power!"

Jolted into action, Mina, Lita, and Amy all drew their transformation wands.

"Venus Star Power!"

"Jupiter Star Power!"

"Mercury Star Power!"

Sailors Saturn, Venus, Jupiter, and Mercury appeared. Sailor Mercury immediately pressed her earring, working on analyzing a weakness in the monster, but her friends could not wait to attack.

"Jupiter Thunder Crash!"

"Venus Love Me Chain Encircle!"

The two attacks shot out towards the youma, but were easily deflected. The others all ranged around, ready to attack, their focus entirely on the youma. Sailor Saturn, however, had turned away from the monster, turning to face the shadows.

"Hello, Sailor Saturn," came a voice.

A young man, dressed in a black version of the generals' uniform, stepped out of a black portal formed by the shadows. Black hair, cut to his earlobes, covered his head. Pale skin was only emphasized by the black eyes in his face.

"Hello, indeed, Erebus," stated Sailor Saturn. "I knew you were coming."

Erebus grinned. "Indeed. You would have seen my arrival."

Behind them, Sailor Pegasus pulled out a wand, topped with a winged heart, identical to her new locket. "Winged Sweet Heart Attack!"

"Moon Sword Magic," declared Lunar Knight, lifting his rose covered sword and pointing it at the youma.

Gold hearts shot out of Sailor Pegasus's wand, as silver rose petals flew from the blade of Lunar Knight's sword. The youma collapsed, destroyed by the two attacks. Everyone turned away from the monster, preparing to de-transform, when they saw Sailor Saturn and Erebus. The two of them traded blows, back and forth, scythe against staff.

"You cannot win against me, Sailor Saturn," yelled Erebus, as he landed a blow on the young scout. "You may wield the powers of death and rebirth, but I am darkness and shadows. I can always escape. I can always hide, where you can't find me."

Suddenly, he flew forward, past the dark scout, a gash across his back.

In the doorway of the Crown stood a scout, shorter than Rini. She carried a scythe more than twice her height. Black hair fell straight to her chin, while a pair of large purple eyes scanned the Crown. Her outfit was almost identical to Sailor Saturn's, but for the fact that her bows were not red, but ebon black.

"This is Sailor Neo-Saturn," stated another voice.

Standing directly behind Neo-Saturn were Neo-Uranus and Neo-Neptune, the blonde having been the one who spoke. The two Neo-Outers folded their arms, standing back to watch the scene before them.

Erebus rose to his feet, shadows leaping from under the tables to heal him.

"Do you three expect to take me down?" Erebus laughed. "I have power over shadows and darkness. I am the younger brother of the Terran General, Hades of the Underworld. We are the most powerful of the Terran Generals. None can stop us."

Sailor Neo-Saturn merely blinked, shifting her grip on her scythe, while Neo-Neptune shook her head.

The aqua haired scout answered, "We don't plan to take you down, Erebus. We'll leave that to Neo-Saturn."

Black-purple eyes met his black ones as she took another step forward. "Dark Glaive of Silence."

The glaive descended, straight towards Erebus, sending the dark boy to the floor. A round purple crystal dropped into Neo-Saturn's outstretched hand. She stepped over to stand directly before Erebus.

"Erebus, darken my shadow. Neo-Saturn Power." Neo-Saturn's soft voice echoed around the Crown.

Shadows shot out of the crystal, grabbing Erebus and pulling him in. A red-eyed shadowy figure was left behind on the floor.

Neo-Saturn raised her scythe again and sliced the shadow in half, forcing it to disintegrate. She turned and walked out, followed by Neo-Uranus and Neo-Neptune.

"Wait!" Sailor Pegasus ran over to them. "Why don't we work together?"

Neo-Uranus turned to face her. "We have a mission, Sailor Pegasus. You cannot understand it. You cannot help us."

"Does that sound familiar?" Sailor Uranus demanded, landing in front of the Neo-Outers. "I once said the same thing to Sailor Moon. She didn't listen to me."

Neo-Uranus turned to her older counterpart. "Then you should understand why we can't involve anyone else."

"No," stated Sailor Neptune, stepping up beside her partner. "We understand that you can't do this on your own. You will end up needing help."

Neo-Saturn stepped forward, her violet gaze meeting that of Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune.

"We'll be going, now." Neo-Neptune placed a hand on the youngest scouts shoulder.

Neo-Saturn's glaive rose into the air and shadows surrounded the three Neo-Outers, teleporting them away from the Crown.

* * *

Raye found herself being drawn to kneel before the Sacred Fire, once again. Closing her eyes, she opened her mind to the call of the flames.

A voice she didn't recognize called out, "Greetings, Sailor Mars, Raye, Priestess of the Sacred Fire of Mars."

* * *

Ducking through the small door under the stairs, Jason stepped into the basement of the mansion. There, in the center of the far wall, was a gold-plated door, carved with the symbol of a phoenix rising from the ashes. Pushing it open, he stepped through a portal into the Temple of the Sacred Fire, located in Elysian.

His tennis shoes were abandoned by the door. Barefoot, he walked across the polished alabaster floor, to the gold altar where the flames danced. He knelt before the fire, closing his eyes.

"Greetings, Phoenix General, Jedite, High Priest of the Sacred Fire," declared a strange voice.

* * *

Raye found herself standing in the center of a road. On either side of the road, flames rose up, preventing her from leaving the path. Red fire danced, occasionally met with flickers of blue, green, and orange.

"Miss Hino?

She turned to see Jason Specter materialize out of the flames and stand on the road behind her.

"What are you doing here, Specter?"

He shrugged. "I just got here. Someone called my name and the next thing I know I'm standing in front of you on a road surrounded by fire."

The blonde man turned and began walking down the road to their left. Staring into the flames, he let himself go, seeing the image that appeared before him.

* * *

"_I'm home!"_

_Jason stepped through the arch at the entrance to the temple grounds. All around him, everything seemed made of crystal, even the buildings. _

_Raye strode out of the Fire Room, dressed in her priestess robes, a look of frustration on her face. "You're late, Jason."_

"_Mal held us later at practice. Darien said that Sere's been having nightmares. He wants us prepared."_

_A small, dark haired boy came running out from behind Raye, a large smile upon his face._

* * *

A sudden throat clearing pulled Jason out of the vision before he could see anything further.

"I didn't bring you here to see that, General Jedite."

He turned to see a figure walk out of the wall of fire. From head to toe, the new arrival was hidden by a blood red cloak.

"Who are you?" Raye folded her arms. "And why did you call him General Jedite?"

"I am your guide. There are things you need to see, things you must remember, Lady Rei. Follow me," answered the figure.

He turned and walked down the road in the opposite direction Jason had been walking. When the two of them didn't follow, he looked back over his shoulder.

"The sooner you follow me and see what I have to show you, the sooner you can go home," he stated. "And, no, you don't have to believe what I show you. You just have to see it."

Raye muttered under her breath and followed, Jason falling in step beside her.

* * *

"_Rei, have you seen them yet?"_

_Princess Serenity came running into the Martian Princess's room. The raven haired princess looked up from the fireplace, where she had been meditating._

"_Seen who, Serenity?"_

_The blonde princess giggled. "The delegation from Terra, silly. They arrived earlier today. Surely you saw them coming in the Fire!"_

"_Oh." Rei turned back to the fire. "That's nice."_

_Serenity folded her arms. "Are you even listening to me?"_

"_Princess, there's something in the fire that I am trying to see. Can you please leave me to study it in peace?"_

_The blonde princess began to pout, tears welling at the corners of her innocent blue eyes._

"_Don't pull the face, Serenity, please!" Rei rose from the hearth and walked over to her princess. "I'm listening."_

"_There's someone in the delegation you really should meet, Rei," added Princess Minako, striding into the room behind Serenity. "He is ever so cute. Bright blue eyes and blonde hair. And he seems to love the color red as much as you do! He couldn't stop staring at the red flowers in the gardens."_

_The Martian princess sighed. When it came to the Princess of Venus, no one could stop her attempts at matchmaking, even if they had such silly little basis as liking the same color._

_Serenity practically dragged Rei from her room and down to the throne room. The three princesses crouched behind the banister near the top of the room, looking down on the delegation. Seven men all entered and bowed to the Queen of the Moon._

_Rei's eyes immediately focused on the one Minako had been talking about. He stood directly to the left of the prince of Terra, but she forgot all the others as he turned in their direction. His blue eyes, intense as the very heart of a flame, met her violet ones, and would not let go. _

And his hair isn't blonde,_ she thought. _It's gilded fire.

_Vaguely, she heard Queen Serenity greet them, her mind latching onto his name. General Jedite, the Phoenix General._

_

* * *

She stood in the archery field, her bow in her hand and a quiver on her back. Ten arrows were embedded in the bull's eye at the far end. Another was poised on the string._

_Jedite happened to be walking by, pausing in the shadowy corner of the field as the eleventh arrow was released to join the others in the small black circle. He leaned back against the white wall to watch her fire her final shot._

She's amazing, _he thought, as she lifted the final arrow. _Could the rumors be true? Could she be a Priestess of the Sacred Flame?

_He shook his head. The princess of Mars was far too cold to master the fire. His hand reached up to the thin gold chain he wore around his neck, holding his token of office as High Priest of the Sacred Flame of Terra._

_The princess released her final arrow, but it failed to hit the bull's eye when a slight draft caught hold of it. Instead, it landed in the outermost ring of the target. Sparks flew from her hand and landed on the misplaced arrow, turning it into a small pile of ashes._

So, it is true, after all_, he mused, stepping forward._

"_I know you're there," declared the Martian Princess, turning to the shadows. "Enjoy the show, General?"_

_He shrugged. "I was impressed by your display of fire power. Not many can control a flame so well."_

"_Of course not." Rei glared at him. "I am a Priestess of the Sacred Flame of Mars, General."_

"_And yet I had a hard time seeing it. You are very good at containing yourself, Princess. Tell me, who trained you?" He strode towards her._

_She opened her mouth to deliver a sharp retort when she saw the amulet he was fiddling with. Inside a clear crystal, a small fire danced, enchanted to burn eternally. The emblem carved above the flame, a crowned phoenix, marked him as head of the Terran Order, higher than she._

"_My grandfather, on my mother's side. He is head of the Martian Order," she explained, displaying her own pendant, a raven holding a bow._

_He bowed slightly. "A pleasure to meet you, Priestess. And the heir of the order, too."_

* * *

"_Rei, what do you think of him?"_

_It was getting harder to spend time with her beloved grandfather anymore. Her father and her princess kept her busy, without having to deal with Jedite. The general did his best to monopolize all her free time on the Moon, and had even followed her to Mars on numerous occasions to converse with members of the Sacred Fire Priesthood._

_She sighed, staring into her cup of tea, rather than up at the small, wizened old man who had taught her how to reach the flame. "I think I love him, Grandfather. As much as he annoys me with being polite and then pulling a joke on someone. Then, he'll do something really sweet. I found bouquets of roses outside my door, and then red lilies, and then one of fireweeds. Those were actually the most beautiful. He's watched all of my archery practices. He's done everything he can to learn about Martian culture, as well as our Order. And, he's asked me to dance at every single ball since he arrived."_

"_It sounds like he's trying to charm you. And that he's as much in love with you as you are with him," observed her grandfather._

"_But Father will never agree to give my hand to Jedite," she groaned. "He barely tolerates Queen Serenity's decision to allow her daughter to marry Endymion."_

"_Follow your heart, Rei. You never know where it might lead you."_

_

* * *

Rei smiled down at her grandfather as she danced with him at the ball. Her father had refused to attend, again, still displeased with the decision to ally with Terra. However, he had found another diplomatically appropriate reason to duck out. Rei didn't know what he had come up with this time, but she didn't really care. He barely tolerated her anymore, and so she did her best to avoid him._

"_May I cut in?"_

_There he was, being extremely polite, as usual. The blonde general smiled at the raven haired princess._

"_General Jedite, of course you may." Rei's grandfather bowed out, leaving the two of them alone in the center of the crowded dance floor._

_The raven haired princess tried her best not to smile up at him. They had both been trying to avoid each other, after the disastrous attempt Jedite had made to approach King Ares._

"_I don't want to give up on you, Rei," whispered Jedite, leaning close to her ear. "I can't let you go. The Fire knows how I've tried, Dark Flame."_

_Her violet eyes met his blue ones at the mention of his pet name for her. "The Flame has been telling you the same thing it has been telling me, hasn't it, my phoenix?"_

"_We belong together, Rei. Will you do me the honor of allowing me to be your husband? Of becoming my wife?"_

_She nodded, blinking back tears. "Nothing could make me happier, my phoenix."_

_

* * *

Jedite and Rei stood before her grandfather, in the temple of Mars. Only he was here to witness the rite that would bind their souls for eternity._

"_Rei, you are my light, my fire, my eternal companion," spoke Jedite. "There is no one else who will ever hold my heart, fiery warrior princess. To prove it to you, my Dark Flame, I swear, as long as you live, so do I. I cannot live without you. You are my life, now and forever."_

_Tears filled Rei's eyes as she looked out from under the sheer white veil. "You are everything to me, Jedite. My phoenix, my love, my very heart. No one else will ever hold my heart, either. I, too, swear to you, as long as you live, so do I. You are my soul mate, for all eternity."_

"_Then, by the Sacred Flame, I pronounce you husband and wife." Rei's grandfather beamed as the newlyweds kissed. "Let not even Ares tear you apart."_

* * *

"_General Jedite, I have already spoken with Queen Serenity," stated a deep voice, coming from an obsidian throne. "In order to maintain the alliance between Terra and the Silver Millennium, you are no longer to set foot on Mars. You are not allowed anywhere near my daughter. I will never allow her to be contaminated by something so low as you."_

_Jedite knelt before the throne, looking up with pleading eyes. "Please, King Ares. Hear me out."_

"_Enough. Go back to the Moon, return to Terra, I don't care. But don't come anywhere near my Rei or back to Mars. Break this decree and I will have your head, even if it means war with barbaric Terra."_

_The general rose slowly, moisture gathering in his eyes. "As you wish, your majesty."_

_He turned and strode out of the room. Carefully, he made his way up the stairs to a small chamber. Inside, in a large canopied bed, he found Rei, sleeping peacefully. He bent down and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead._

"_This is farewell, Dark Flame. I'm going back to Terra," he whispered, not loud enough to wake her. "It looks like the Sacred Fire was wrong about us. This wasn't meant to be. I'm so sorry."_

_Two tears fell from his eyes, staining the red velvet pillowcase below his wife's head. He pulled the light blanket up over her shoulders, before walking out of the room. He paused at the door, staring back at her, as if memorizing her features, and then he was gone._

* * *

"_Grandfather, I need your help."_

_Rei knelt before the tiny priest, tears in her eyes._

"_What's wrong, Rei?"_

_She looked up at him, folding her hands protectively over her middle. "I am carrying Jedite's child. I can't let my father find out. If he knew Jedite and I had gone behind his back, I can't face it. And what he would do to this child."_

_The tears fell more rapidly as she burst into heaving sobs._

"_You will stay here, Rei. We will keep you and the child safe," her grandfather assured her, placing his hands on her shaking shoulders._

_

* * *

Rei entered a small, plainly decorated room, her hair falling to cover her face. A small, dark haired boy, no older than four years of age, played with a small toy on the floor in front of the bed. He looked up when she stepped over and sank down to sit beside him._

_The boy rose to his feet and pushed Rei's hair away from her face. A bruise covered the entire left side. Gently, she nudged his hand away and let her hair fall back into place._

"_Grandfather was here again, wasn't he?" The boy sounded so much older than a four year old should._

_Tears filled Rei's eyes as she pulled the child into her lap and held him close._

_He looked up at her, his blue violet eyes shining. "Tell me again, Mama. Where did my name come from?"_

"_My little Jacob Jedite. I've told you this a hundred times!" Rei laughed, softly. When he began to pout, she sighed, "Alright, I'll tell you again. Once, there was a powerful man who was a priest of the Sacred Flame of Terra. He had a little brother who was very brave, but had a deadly illness. The priest loved his brother will all his heart, and he prayed daily for a cure to be found for his brother. His prayers were answered and his brother survived the deadly disease. Several years later, the younger brother was out on a scouting mission for the prince of Terra. He was attacked by the very people he was watching. He managed to survive to inform the prince of what had happened, but he died not long after. In the memory of the brave young brother who saved the kingdom of Terra with his information, information that cost him his life, I gave you his name, Jacob."_

"_And my papa was the priest who was Jacob's brother. And Papa can't be here because he's helping protect Terra," added Jacob, looking his mother in the eyes._

_She nodded. "Yes. He's helping keep Terra safe so that the evil there doesn't come out here to Mars."_

* * *

Raye reached out and placed a hand on their guide's shoulder.

"You're Jacob Jedite. But how are you here? You would have died with the end of the Silver Millennium," demanded Raye.

The guide drew off his hood. A fourteen year old boy with ebony black hair and solemn blue-violet eyes looked up at them both. A sad smile crossed his face.

"I've showed you all that I can, Mama. The rest is up to you and to the others," he stated, looking down at the road. "Now, goodbye, for now."

* * *

With a start, Raye found herself kneeling before the Sacred Fire once again. Now alone, she let the tears take her, sobbing until she had no tears left. Across the city, Jason rose from his position before his own Sacred Fire.

"When Drake gets back, he'll have to answer to me about keeping Jacob's existence from me. As guardian of the dead, there's no way he didn't know about him," growled the blonde man, striding out of the temple.

* * *

"Confound it all!"

A tall man with bleached blonde hair and copper eyes paced the length of the underground cavern.

"Erebus fail you, too?"

The man turned, his black cape fluttering behind him. Another man was chained to the stone wall of the cave. Golden hair fell into blue eyes, waving down to his shoulders. He remained seated, even though the gold chains binding him would allow him to stand.

His captor merely glared at him, before turning away.

"I don't take failure lightly," growled the copper haired man.

His prisoner laughed. "You don't take rejection well, either. You know she won't have you. She's far too smart to fall for you."

"Silence, Eros!"

His captor turned, drawing a sword and pointing it at the chained man, Eros.

"You draw that blade too easily against your prince, Adonis." Eros looked up at him. "Even now, with the Silver Millennium gone, we remain what we were, the golden Prince of Venus and the lowly captain of the guard."

Adonis snarled. "Your precious twin sister will belong to me, Eros. And your pretty little moon cousin will fall. All I have to do is get rid of those who stand in my way, starting with the generals of Terra."

"You're still a fool. She's already rejected you how many times? Adonis, she's even tried to kill you in this life!"

"It doesn't matter, because you are going to help me. She'll listen to you, and to your mother. Even your pretty little wife will help convince her otherwise."

"You leave Psyche alone!"

"Too late."

A dark haired woman stepped out of the shadows, her normally brown eyes were rimmed in red as she approached them. A deadly looking sword was clutched in her hand, held out for Eros to take.

"Oh, Psyche," whispered Eros, his voice sorrowful. "How could you, Adonis?"

Another woman stepped up beside Psyche, with long golden hair and pale blue eyes. She carried no weapon, but Eros knew she didn't need one. Aphrodite, Queen of Venus, could use a person's own heart against them.

Adonis grinned. "It's your turn, Eros. And then I'll let you have a little family reunion with your dear sister, Minako."

* * *

Please! Please review!!! Hey, here's an idea! Just tell me who is your favorite character! Tell me what is your favorite part of the story! Who do you want to see more of? Just tell me something! Tell me who you who you absolutely hate!


	10. Return of the Wyvern

**Disclaimer:** I do NOT own Sailor Moon or any of the canon characters. Derek, Drake, and the others are my creation, however.

**Author's Note:**This is set during the Sailor Moon R break-up, when Darien is having the nightmares and breaks up with Serena. However, I have decided to make Rini a little older. She's now about ten years old, instead of four, just because of the plot line. Also, the other scouts are older, as everyone is now in high school except Hotaru. But, hey, this is AU. Also, when I refer to the five divisions of Terra, I refer to them by their direction from Elysian, thus North and South America, being to the East of Elysian, are the Eastern Division, Africa and the Middle East are the Western Division. Europe, Russia, Greenland, and Iceland are all the Northern Division, while Australia, Antarctica, and the Pacific Islands are the Southern Division. The rest of Asia would be Elysian. Galaxis High School is my creation, here. Its sort-of replacing the school Hotaru, Michelle, and Amara attended during the Heartsnatchers episodes, but since that isn't happening, I gave them a new school. (Too I can't remember the name!) This would be the school that Serena, Jason, Zack, Amara, and Michelle are attending.

Chapter Ten: Return of the Wyvern

Darien closed his medical textbook, unable to concentrate on reading. Ever since facing Gaia and Serenity, being forced to witness those memories, he hadn't been able to focus. He had taken to avoiding everyone, including Andrew. The memories from the battle hadn't been the last. More had come, and now, he would turn and see things he knew weren't there, because of what they had done.

The six of them continually appeared in his mind. Those who had sworn to defend him with their lives had ended up betraying him.

_Malachite had been his strong right hand. The silver-haired man had commanded the element of earth, had called and tamed one of the great dragons to teach him power. He had been one of the greatest warriors Terra had ever seen, one of Endymion's greatest supporters in the alliance with the Moon Kingdom. Yet, this great warrior had fallen for the beautiful princess of Venus, and she had taught him how to smile, rather than smirk._

_Jedite was the confidant number two. The element of fire had answered to the blonde man, while he had befriended the great phoenix, the first Phoenix General in generations to also be the High Priest of the Sacred Fire. Life was never dull with Jedite around, pulling one of his pranks. Diplomacy had never been his strong point. The general was overly polite in formal situations, but that hadn't seemed to bother the fiery princess of Mars._

_Nephrite was the visionary and the chef. No one had been surprised when he became master of the wind and companion to the majestic gryphons. A strong warrior, almost better than Malachite, it was in the kitchen that he truly excelled. It was unthinkable to turn down a meal he had made, a trait he had shared with the reserved princess of Jupiter._

_Zoicite, the strategist and scholar, was the one that confused Darien. Why did he remember his general as an easy-going blonde man with a fondness for playing chess and studying literature? The computer genius he would see in memories was not the same Dark General they had fought. The man he saw dancing across the ballroom with the blushing, shy princess of Mercury was definitely not the same woman who had challenged him for the Rainbow Crystals._

_And there were the two who had not been Dark Generals serving Beryl. They were ones who seemed the hardest to ignore, even though they wouldn't appear as often, or perhaps because of it._

_Hades had been a solemn historian. The dark grey haired man had spoken to the souls of the dead and kept his three-headed dog as his constant companion. Red eyes, all too often, stared down at Jedite with disapproval, as strict as Malachite. He had fought the hardest, harder even than Endymion, for the alliance with the Moon Kingdom. The guardian of the underworld was a position few would attempt to obtain. He was far too often occupied with his realm to spend time with Endymion and the others._

_Erebus, the youngest of them all, had been excluded for the most part, all because of his age. He spent more time alone, playing with the winged snake he had adopted than with the older generals. His separation from the rest of them had been to the point that the King and Queen of Terra had asked that he not be part of the delegation to the Moon. Hades had snuck his little brother in the shadow of his cloak, using Erebus's own power over shadows and darkness._

Darien shook his head, trying to dispel the memories.

"Why won't they leave me alone?" He threw the book across the room, before dropping his head into his hands.

* * *

Moonlight filtered in through the open window as a white cloaked figure approached the bed where Darien slept. Another figure walked beside him, a tiny girl in a purple and black sailor uniform, a tall scythe in her hand.

"Do you really think he's ready?" The white figure looked down at the girl. "It might be too soon for him to reclaim his Crystal."

She shook her head.

"Very well," muttered the white figure.

A golden glow surrounded the sleeping man and the three of them vanished.

* * *

Darien found himself standing in the middle of a large grassy field, dressed in the black suit he wore as Tuxedo Mask, his top hat and mask in his hands.

A white-haired boy appeared before him, dressed in white and gold robes. A gold horn rose from the center of his forehead, under his white bangs.

"Helios," breathed Darien, relieved to see the priest of Elysion. "What am I doing here?"

Helios smiled. "Do you remember anything that has happened in the past few hours?"

Perplexed, Darien shook his head. "I remember falling asleep in my apartment, but that's it."

"I thought so," stated the priest. "You will remember only if you need to, which I doubt you will. Know only that you have passed a very important test."

"What test?"

"The test that returns this to you."

Helios reached up to the golden crystal horn he bore. Slowly, the crystal slid out of his forehead, leaving behind only a red teardrop mark.

"The Golden Crystal is once again yours, my prince. Now, I may rest and be reborn."

Darien looked down at him, taking the crystal into his hands. "What do you mean?"

"My life has been a half-existence, surviving in dreams, since the fall of the Silver Millennium, protecting the Golden Crystal, as you charged me. Now, that half-life is over. The crystal has been returned to you. I may now submit my soul to General Hades and allow my soul to rest, so I may be reborn later, when the time is right," explained Helios.

A tiny girl appeared beside the priest, dressed in a black turtleneck, a black skirt, black tights, and black boots. Her wide dark-violet eyes seemed to be begging something from Darien, but she did not speak. Instead, she held out a round purple crystal. Slowly, the ghostly form of Erebus emerged to stand between the girl and Darien.

He noticed Darien immediately. The teenaged boy dropped down on one knee, his dark head bowed.

"Greetings, my prince. How may I serve the Prince of Terra?" Erebus asked, careful to keep his eyes on the ground.

Darien looked from him to Helios to the little girl.

"Rise, Erebus," he stated. "What exactly is going on?"

"You have a choice here, my prince," stated Helios. "You can send Erebus with me, into the keeping of his brother, Hades, or you can revive him, returning him to service as your general. Unlike me, however, Hades cannot send his brother back to the living. Only you can return life to your generals once it has been taken."

Darien stared into the pleading eyes of the silent, nameless girl.

"You want me to revive him, don't you?" Darien asked, kneeling down to her level. "Even after what he has done?"

She nodded, a tear sliding down her ivory pale cheek. Bending close to his ear, she whispered, "It was not really him."

Memories from the Silver Millennium ran through his mind. Here was someone who could, hopefully, answer his questions, someone who could help him figure out why his generals would have betrayed them, or if they even had. Erebus could answer his questions about Zoicite.

"Erebus, General of Darkness and Shadows, I ask you, do you wish to be reborn, to serve your prince, to aid him in the fight against the Negaverse?"

The dark haired boy lifted his head, black eyes meeting the midnight gaze, his expression hopeful. "I want nothing more than to prove myself worthy to be a Terran General and a servant of my prince."

"Then, rise and reclaim your place." Darien held the Golden Crystal, letting the bright light bathe Erebus, as the boy turned from a ghostly figure into a solid person.

A bright smile covered the girl's face as she and Helios both faded away.

* * *

Darien opened his eyes, finding himself back in his room. Derek snored loudly on a mattress on the floor. The past few nights, ever since facing Gaia and Serenity, the fourteen year old boy had found himself unable to sleep, plagued by nightmares he couldn't remember. Too embarrassed to say anything out right, he had laid down in the second bedroom in Darien's apartment, only to be found on the floor in Darien's own room in the morning. The dark-haired man had finally placed a mattress on the floor for Derek.

Darien smiled as he sat up, trying to figure out what had woken him.

The answer sat watching Derek. The fourteen year old boy in black pants, jacket, and boots, was almost invisible in the dark. Carefully, Darien rose and motioned the black-haired boy to follow him out of the room.

"Hello again, Erebus," stated Darien, once they were in the apartment's kitchen. "It wasn't just a dream then?"

Erebus shook his head. "It looks like I am back, my prince."

"Please, just call me Darien. You're going to need a new name, too. Erebus isn't exactly normal in Tokyo," explained Darien, pulling out a plate of Lita's cookies. "Everyone else from the Silver Millennium has a new name, too."

"And yours is now Darien? No longer Endymion?" Erebus asked.

The man nodded. "Darien Shields. The boy you were watching is Derek Chiba, from the 30th Century."

"What about the other generals? Surely my brother has contacted you."

"I don't know," replied Darien, staring Erebus in the eye. "My memories still haven't sorted themselves out enough for me to be able to know where they are. If Helios is right, I have to use the Golden Crystal to revive Malachite, Jedite, Nephrite, and Zoicite. As for your brother, I don't know where he is, either."

"You know they didn't betray you, right?" Erebus asked. "Hades and I both knew they didn't. He ran into Malachite, during the battle against Beryl. He said that Malachite had no soul, and that a shadow emerged when he was killed. Besides, that definitely wasn't Zoicite going after Mercury. He would never have done that."

Darien nodded. "I'm beginning to remember that. It was just hard, facing the Dark Generals before regaining my memories of the real ones. We will find them, if they were reborn. If not, I will find the power to bring them back."

A smile lit up Erebus's face. "You will find that power, your highness. Sorry. Darien."

"Now, as to your new name," he started.

"I've always been partial to Aaron," stated the master of shadows. "Aaron Erebus Miller."

"Why Miller?"

"I don't really know. It just seems to fit."

Suddenly, a small grey kitten came running into the room. "There's a youma downstairs. Should I call the scouts?"

"No need, Stellis." Darien shook his head and turned to Erebus. "Time to prove yourself, Aaron Erebus Miller."

Erebus nodded and rose to his feet. From his sub-space pocket he pulled out a dagger, carved from obsidian.

"I haven't used this in a long time," he remarked, before lifting it into the air. "Terran Wyvern of Obsidian!"

Shadows surrounded him, shifting to reveal a boy in a completely black tuxedo, including the shirt and the lining of his black cape. A black mask covered the top half of his pale face.

"Go get it, Tuxedo Wyvern," stated Darien. "I know you can handle it."

Tuxedo Wyvern nodded, gathering shadows around him and teleporting downstairs to destroy the youma. He returned, only moments later, a silver coin in his hand.

"We're going to have a problem," stated Tuxedo Wyvern, setting the coin down in front of Darien. "A very major problem."

The symbol of Venus shone in the center of the coin, inside a golden heart.

A pair of midnight blue eyes met a pair of obsidian black. "You know who this coin refers to?"

"Queen Aphrodite of Venus, mother to Princess Minako." Erebus nodded.

* * *

"In all honestly, Raye, what makes you think tonight will be any different?" Amy demanded, standing in the center of the park. "We haven't been able to take on one of these new youma yet."

Raye merely glared at the bluenette.

Lita turned to her. "If we don't keep fighting them, then we'll never get any stronger."

Mina nodded, her transformation wand already clutched in her hand.

Suddenly, a monster with huge butterfly wings, covered in hearts, was thrown across the park. It tumbled in the air before landing back on its feet.

Just behind it came a scout, dressed in white, gold, and silver. Her white booted feet landed on top of a light pole. Silver-blonde hair fell in pigtails from two round buns as she pulled her tiara from her head.

"Crescent Tiara Crystal Magic!" The new arrival threw her tiara at the monster.

The tiara grew in size, trapping the monster inside a golden circle, while a gold rose wand dropped into the new scout's hand.

"I am Sailor Crystal Crescent, and you will pay for the crimes you have committed!" The silvery-blonde lifted her rose wand and pointed it at the moon. "Royal Crystal Moon Beams!"

Bright shafts of light descended from the moon and destroyed the youma. The golden circle vanished and Sailor Crystal Crescent's tiara reappeared on her forehead. She turned to leave, her hair flying out behind her.

"Serena?" Mina called after the fleeing scout.

She looked back over her shoulder. Two pairs of wide blue eyes met.

Sailor Crystal Crescent broke the connection between the two of them and leapt off into the darkness.

* * *

Okay, short chapter, I know. Now, go down and hit that little button that says review! Please?


	11. Dragon and Light

**Disclaimer:** I do NOT own Sailor Moon or any of the canon characters. Derek, Drake, and the others are my creation, however.

**Author's Note:**This is set during the Sailor Moon R break-up, when Darien is having the nightmares and breaks up with Serena. However, I have decided to make Rini a little older. She's now about ten years old, instead of four, just because of the plot line. Also, the other scouts are older, as everyone is now in high school except Hotaru. But, hey, this is AU. Also, when I refer to the five divisions of Terra, I refer to them by their direction from Elysian, thus North and South America, being to the East of Elysian, are the Eastern Division, Africa and the Middle East are the Western Division. Europe, Russia, Greenland, and Iceland are all the Northern Division, while Australia, Antarctica, and the Pacific Islands are the Southern Division. The rest of Asia would be Elysian. Galaxis High School is my creation, here. Its sort-of replacing the school Hotaru, Michelle, and Amara attended during the Heartsnatchers episodes, but since that isn't happening, I gave them a new school. (Too I can't remember the name!) This would be the school that Serena, Jason, Zack, Amara, and Michelle are attending.

Chapter Eleven: Dragon and Light

Mina sat by her window. In a lot of ways, she was glad she lived just down the street from Amy. It made it easier to get a hold of her when a youma attacked, but it also meant that she knew when Amy was out with Zack. She sighed as the ice blue convertible pulled up in front of the Mizuno house. Amy came running down the front steps as Zack opened the passenger side door.

"No book bag tonight. Means she isn't pretending it's a study date," muttered Mina, pulling her knees up to her chin. "Wonder where they plan to go tonight."

A knock sounded on the door, downstairs, but Mina didn't budge. She knew one of her parents would get the door. A tear slid down her cheek as she continued to stare out the window.

"Mina, sweetheart," came her mother's voice on the other side of her bedroom door. "There's someone here to see you."

Mina wiped the tear away and stood, opening the door. Her mother stood there, with Mal Stone standing right behind her.

"I just brought by the last of the photos. I thought you might want to have your copies," stated Mal, not meeting her eyes. The white haired man held out a thick envelope. "It has been a pleasure to work with you."

He placed the packet in her hands and walked away, after bidding her mother a very polite farewell.

The blonde teenager stared down at the envelope, before closing the door on her mother's confused face. Mina threw the envelope on her desk, where it burst open. Photos fell out of the envelope and all over her floor. With an anguished cry, she scooped them up, quickly.

"Why did he have to bring them by?" Mina growled, stuffing them back into the envelope.

She paused when she saw it. The photo was not one from the shoots. It couldn't have been. She hadn't worn that dress in this life. It was the golden orange one she had worn as Official Ambassador of the Moon Kingdom. That was clearly the Moon Palace in the background, too. Frowning, she flipped through the other photos, pulling out those that clearly were from the Silver Millennium.

"It can't be," she whispered, lifting one of them off the floor.

It was her, as the Princess of Venus, dressed in that same golden orange gown. But Mal stood behind her, his chin resting in her hair. His arms were wrapped around her, allowing the light to catch on the ring he wore on his right hand, a ring that bore a dragon carrying a rose.

"Malachite."

* * *

_Minako, Princess of Venus, stood behind her aunt, as the Queen of the Moon welcomed the delegation from Terra. Her golden orange dress shimmered in the light of the stars. Her hands, covered in the white silk of her gloves, trembled slightly. This was her first official task as the newly appointed Ambassador of the Moon Kingdom. She wanted with all her heart to succeed, to make her own mother, the last Ambassador, proud of all she had accomplished._

"_Welcome, Prince Endymion," stated Queen Serenity. "And these gentlemen must be your generals."_

_The dark haired prince bowed. "Indeed, your majesty. I present to you my loyal guard. The leader, Malachite, Dragon General of the West. His second in command, Jedite, Phoenix General of the South. Third is Nephrite, Gryphon General of the East, and Zoicite, Sphinx General of the North. Also, I present Hades, Cerberus General of the Underworld, and his brother, Erebus, Wyvern General of Shadows."_

_The six men behind him bowed._

"_And I present my niece, the official Ambassador of the Moon Kingdom, Minako, Princess of Venus, and head of my daughter's own guard, the Sailor Scouts."_

"_It is a pleasure, your highness." Endymion and his generals all bowed again._

_Minako smiled slightly as she stepped forward, dropping a graceful curtsey. "Welcome to our home, your highness, generals."_

_Her blue eyes met a pair of silvery grey, as she rose. General Malachite nodded as he looked at her. She forced back a frown. Why couldn't she read this man? She had been trained from very early how to read people, yet this Terran General utterly defeated her skills._

_

* * *

_

_Four men, dressed in polished silver armor charged at a young woman, dressed in a white and orange sailor fuku. Light flared around her upraised right hand, and a sword of stone dropped into it. She spun around, taking down two of the men with one blow, before facing the third. He went down just as easily as his comrades. She turned to fight the fourth, only to find him already pinned under another's blade._

_A tall man with bleached blonde hair looked up at her with shimmering copper eyes. He held the blade of his sword to the armored man's neck._

"_I did not require your assistance, Adonis. This was merely a training exercise. You did not need to involve yourself," stated Minako, her voice cold._

_Adonis delivered a winning smile. "You shouldn't have to fight, your highness. Not while there are so many guards to protect you. Why don't you return to the castle and do something much more fitting?"_

"_I resent your implications, Adonis." Minako lowered her own blade to rest just above the ground. "It is necessary for me, as one of the princess's own guards, to keep myself trained."_

"_Besides, women need to know how to defend themselves. With out such protection, they become easy targets."_

_The white haired general of Terra stood at the edge of the practice arena, his arms folded. "I've seen it far too many times. A woman can be killed by a sword as easily as a man."_

"_Thank you, General Malachite," stated the princess._

_He nodded. "Perhaps you would like to practice against me, your highness? One on one, without interference?"_

"_I would be honored. I heard you are the greatest warrior of the Prince's generals."_

"_Let us just say it has been a long time since I had a worthy opponent."_

* * *

"_Good evening, General Malachite. What is that object you are studying?"_

_Minako stepped out onto the balcony beside the general._

_He held out the small black box he was turning over in his hands. "Good evening, Princess Minako. It is called a camera. It is a recent experiment of Zoicite's. It can reproduce an image, in miniature, using reflections of light."_

_Malachite lifted the box and pointed it towards the gardens. He pressed a small button the top and a flash of light came from the camera. He pulled the box back and turned it to show Minako. On the back of the box was a small image of the garden, identical to the view from which the camera had been placed._

"_It will work wonders on scouting missions, if he can turn off that flash," stated the white haired man. "Imagine being able to know exactly how the terrain looks, without having to take hours to draw it all out. The flash, however, would give away the position to anyone who is watching."_

"_Unless it is during a lightning storm," remarked the princess. "Then one might think it was a flash of lightning."_

_He nodded. "That is very true."_

"_But I am sure there are other, just as practical, uses for the camera." She smiled up at him. "Like using the camera instead of hiring an artist to paint a portrait. It would be much faster and much more comfortable. Imagine, it might even be affordable for the common person, one day."_

_Malachite gave her a faint smile of his own. "Would you like me to take your photograph, your highness?"_

_

* * *

_

_Minako floated across the ballroom, holding onto the shoulder and hand of her brother, Eros. The blonde haired, blue eyed prince of Venus was her own twin, younger than her by mere minutes. However, the crown would still pass to him._

"_You know something, little sister?" Eros whispered. "I've been watching people a long time, and I've noticed when two people are meant to be together."_

_Minako scowled up at him. "Quit calling me little sister. I'm older than you by three full minutes."_

"_But I am taller," he retorted. "Anyway, I wanted to tell you that I approve of Malachite. You belong with him. When he first arrived here, he didn't smile at all. Now, I see him fighting back a smile every time you walk into the room. Even Mother and Psyche agree with me. You and Malachite are soul mates, Minako. You two belong together for eternity, the same way Psyche and I do, or the way we all agree Serenity and Endymion do."_

"_Thank you, Eros, but I don't need your approval."_

_He smiled. "You have it anyway, Minako. Now, if you will excuse me, my wife is waiting for me."_

_Minako nodded as her brother walked off the dance floor, to where a small, brown haired woman waited, her hands folded in front of her stomach._

I really hope it works out this time, _she thought. _I'm not sure Psyche could handle another miscarriage.

"_Might I have the honor of this next dance, your highness?" Adonis appeared beside her elbow, his hand held out to her._

_The blonde princess took a careful step backward, unsure how to politely turn down the invitation. Something about Adonis just never felt right, not even when he trained with her brother._

"_I am afraid that she has promised this dance to me," stated a deep voice._

_Malachite stood behind her, appearing very stiff, as always. He took her hand and led her farther out onto the dance floor, away from the fuming Adonis._

"_Princess Minako, there is something I have been wanting to ask you for the longest time," he whispered. "I am not quite sure how to phrase it, though."_

_She looked up at his grey eyes. "Go ahead and ask, General."_

"_I was hoping, Minako, that you would agree to, that is I, would you," he stumbled over the words. He took a deep breath and tried again. "I mean to say, Minako, Princess of Venus, would you marry me?"_

_She gasped and threw her arms around his neck, burying her face in his shoulder before turning to whisper in his ear. "There is nothing I would love more. You are everything to me, Malachite."_

"_And you are everything to me, Minako. You are the goddess who can make me smile," he whispered, a brilliant smile crossing his face._

_

* * *

_

_Minako hurried down the halls of the palace, searching for her husband of four months. She could hardly contain her excitement at the news she had to tell him._

_It had been the chat she had been having with her sister-in-law that had confirmed what she had suspected. Now, she had to tell her husband, and as soon as possible._

"_Good day, Princess." Adonis appeared next to her, again._

_The captain of the Royal Guard still would not accept that Minako was happily married. Every chance he got, he was still trying to flirt with her, protect her, order her about. The other day, he had even tried to force a kiss on her, before she had stomped on his foot with her high-heeled shoe. Thankfully he was to be reassigned, now. Eros had witnessed the almost kiss and intervened._

"_Excuse me, Adonis," she stated, skirting around him, "but I am in a little bit of a hurry."_

_He grabbed her arm as she tried to leave. "You don't belong with that idiotic old man from Terra, Princess. You need someone stronger than him, someone who will teach you how to truly behave like the princess you are."_

"_Release me at once," declared Minako, glaring at him. "My husband is waiting for me."_

_Adonis pulled her closer. "I can show you what you are missing, by staying with him."_

"_I believe my wife told you to release her," stated Malachite._

_He stood in the doorway behind Adonis, one hand resting on the sword he carried at his side. The other hand rested on the shoulder of Eros. The prince of Venus gripped his own sword, preparing to draw it._

"_I will be leaving now, your highness." Adonis released Minako's arm and bowed, before disappearing down the hall._

_Minako ran forward, throwing herself into her husband's embrace, tears falling down her face._

_

* * *

_

"_You know you have to go, Malachite. Your brothers need your help. If you don't go, I don't think anything would keep Endymion from following. He knows, if you go, Jedite will be in good hands." Minako pushed several strands of hair away from her husband's face._

"_I know, but I don't want to leave you, or the children."_

_Malachite turned to look down at the two small beds. One blonde head peaked out from under an orange blanket, while silver hair spread itself over the white pillow._

"_They are still so innocent. I don't want them to loose that, Minako," he whispered, pulling her close._

"_They won't. Not yet. Not if you go and stop this evil," she reminded him. "You protect them by going. Remember that."_

_She blinked back her own tears as she looked up at him._

"_I will come back to you, safely. You and the children are my life, Minako. You are what I live for."_

"_Then you know what you have to do."_

"_Yes. I have to go. I have to find Jedite and bring him back. We have to find out what the threat is that he found, just before he disappeared."_

_The blonde princess nodded._

"_Before I go, I want to do something," he whispered, pulling out the camera he had shown her, a long time ago._

_He led her out of the room where the children slept, putting the camera up on a shelf and pressing several buttons. Walking back over to her, he wrapped his arms around her and rested his chin in her hair. The flash went off and he walked over to pick up the camera. The two of them looked up from the back of the camera._

_* * *_

Mina looked back up from the photo.

"It was the last time we were both together. He turned against me, not long after that." Two tears fell from her eyes to land on the photo. "But how did Mal get a hold of it? It was left on the moon. Unless, Mal is Malachite."

She rose to her feet, leaving the other pictures scattered on the floor. Folding the other picture and sticking it into her pocket, she ran out the door, hoping to be able to catch up to Mal.

Using the speed granted to her by being a Sailor Scout, it wasn't long before she caught up to him.

"Mal!"

The white haired man turned. "Yes, Mina?"

"Explain this." She shoved the folded picture into his hands.

"I didn't realize I slipped it into the envelope," he muttered. "I thought I had kept it."

"You _are _Malachite."

He stared at her. "How much do you remember?"

"Enough to know how much you betrayed me."

"Then you don't remember enough," he sighed. "I wish you did."

He turned and started walking away again.

"You still owe me an explanation, Malachite!"

"You aren't ready to hear it, Mina. I'm truly sorry, but you aren't ready. I hope, one day, you will be, but not now." He bowed his head. "It's for the best if we don't see each other for a while. When you're ready, you'll know where to find me."

Mal walked away, leaving Mina standing, frozen, on the sidewalk. Tears welled up in his eyes, but his discipline refused to let them fall. His hands fisted in his pockets, crumpling the picture he had taken, their last day together in the Silver Millennium.

"I doubt you'll live long enough to explain things to her, Malachite."

Four figures descended to surround him. One was clearly a youma, with golden hair and tiny white wings. It held a small bow and a quiver rested on its back. It was the other three that forced him to pause. The first woman had long golden hair, falling to her feet, while she wore a Grecian style gown in pale orange. A gold, heart shaped pendant rested in the hollow of her throat. Beside her stood another woman, with long brown hair falling to her waist. Red-rimmed eyes stared out at him, as if reading his soul. A man stood behind her, his teeth clenched together. Blue eyes, edged in red, almost pleaded with the General of Terra.

"Queen Aphrodite, Princess Psyche, Prince Eros," whispered the general. "What has happened to you?"

Aphrodite stepped forward. "We have been shown the truth, you traitor. Surrender now, and tell us where your fellow generals are. Maybe then we won't hurt your precious prince too much."

"And you had better tell us where we can find Minako. She belongs with her family," added Psyche. "So just tell us where she is."

Eros didn't say anything. He frowned at Malachite, but his eyes spoke of something else. A plea for help filled them, as if asking that he not believe what they were telling him.

"I'm right behind you," stated Mina. "Now, what do you want?"

"Minako, darling, it's time you returned to your true family," stated Aphrodite, holding her hand out to her daughter.

Mina shook her head. "You aren't my family anymore. You all died a long time ago. I have a new family, now, and I belong with them. My friends still need me, and so does this world."

"You shouldn't have to fight anymore, Minako," stated Psyche, holding out her own hands.

Eros stared at his twin sister. _I'm not sure how much longer I can hold this shadow back. I can't let it hurt my sister or Malachite, not now that I know the truth._

"Attack Malachite and destroy him," ordered Aphrodite, motioning to the youma.

The youma turned and launched several arrows at the general, who dodged them. He pulled a small pink crystal from his sub space pocket as he rolled across the ground.

"Dragon of Terra!" Earth surrounded him and flew outward, revealing a man in a grey tuxedo with an orange mask. His long orange lined grey cape fluttered out behind him.

"Dragon Earth Shatter!" He lifted his hand and several rocks rose out of the ground, surrounding the youma before shattering and burying the shards in the youma's skin. The youma shook itself and the shards fell to the ground, leaving no marks on the monster.

"Hey! You can't do that!" A young girl's voice rang out down the street.

A small figure in a pale version of Sailor Venus's uniform stood at the other end of the block. The only addition to the uniform was a pair of white tights that covered her legs. Her long blonde hair, falling freely around her, looked as pale as Sailor Crystal Crescent's. She was a mere child, appearing only about ten years of age.

"You can't just shake off his attack like that!" She lifted her fingers and pulled Sailor Venus's traditional pose. "I am Sailor Mini Venus, and I won't let you get away with that!"

"What are you going to do about it, little one?" Aphrodite demanded, holding out her hand, palm first, towards the new arrival.

The little scout held up her hand, pointing one finger towards the youma, while her other hand came up to brace her arm. "Mini Venus Crescent Beam Smash!"

The crescent shaped beam of light shot from her hand and slammed into the youma, who stumbled back, but was otherwise unphased.

"Well then, try this! Venus Dragon Crescent Roar!" Another girl's voice declared.

Another beam of light, a brighter orange this time, took the youma by complete surprise, leaving it covered in singe marks after the light had passed.

A young boy's voice followed. "And take this as well! Venus Dragon Earthy Roar!"

Small rocks, glowing with an orange light, flew at the youma, with a great roaring sound as they collided. The youma collapsed on the ground, before turning into a pile of dust.

"Now for the three of you," declared the boy's voice.

A figure in a bright orange tuxedo, with blonde hair falling out from under his orange top hat and surrounding his yellow mask, landed next to Sailor Mini Venus, while a girl in an outfit, identical to Sailor Venus's, landed on the other side of him. Although, Sailor Venus didn't have the dragon wings sprouting from her shoulders like this girl. Her platinum colored hair was partially held back by an orange bow, visible as it peaked over the top of her head.

"I am Venusian Knight," declared the boy, and his companion declared, "I am Sailor Dragon."

Together they spoke, "We are the warriors of love and earth, and we shall, in their name, punish you!"

Aphrodite smiled as she and Psyche stepped forward. "Oh, you children are no match for us."

Venusian Knight shook his head and leapt into the air. "Venus Dragon Scale Chain Encircle!"

A long whip, made of scales, appeared in his hand, before flying out to wrap around Eros. The blonde prince looked up at the Knight, a look of hope in his eyes.

"Do it, boy! Say the words!" Eros exclaimed. "I can't hold the shadow for long!"

"Eros, give me guidance! Neo Venus Power!" Venusian Knight lifted an orange crystal sphere into the air.

Eros smiled as the orange light flared around him. He rose off the ground, leaving a shadow crumpled below his feet. His hand stretched out and a sword dropped into it. He plunged the sword into the heart of the shadow. An ear piercing shriek rang out from the shadow, blasting the prince across the street.

Sailor Dragon wasted no time in unleashing her own attack against Aphrodite. "Venus Dragon Love Chain Encircle!"

A chain, similar to the one wielded by Sailor Venus, surrounded the queen of Venus, dragging away the shadow that had been trapped inside her. The chain squeezed the shadow into dust.

"Aphrodite, guide me," declared Sailor Dragon, lifting her own crystal. "Neo Dragon Power!"

An orange light surrounded the queen, and she vanished into the crystal.

Mini Venus hurried forward, as the queen was taken into the crystal.

"Mini Venus, wait!" Sailor Dragon yelled, but the younger scout did not listen.

She kept running, stopping only when she was directly in front of Psyche. "Mini Venus Love and Beauty Shock!"

The little scout pressed a kiss to the tips of her fingers, creating a ball of yellow orange energy and throwing it, point blank, at Psyche. The brown haired woman was untouched, but the shadow that had dwelled within her crumpled into a pile of dust behind her.

"Psyche, give me faith. Mini Venus Power!" Mini Venus lifted her own round orange crystal and trapped Psyche inside it.

Eros rose to his feet, on the other side of the street. He walked over and placed his hands on Mina's shoulders.

"Before I go into the light of Venusian Knight's crystal, I need to tell you something, little sister," he whispered. "Remember what I told you, the night of the Treaty Ball. Never forget that."

The blonde prince of Venus turned and walked towards the glowing orange crystal held in the boy's hand.

"What exactly does he mean by that?" Mal demanded, letting his transformation fade.

The three children gathered together as their own transformations faded. A ten year old girl with straight, long blonde hair, clung to the hands of two fourteen year old children, one boy and one girl. The boy had blonde hair, falling to the shoulders of his orange t-shirt, while the girl had platinum hair that fell past the hem of her orange mini skirt.

"I don't know," stated Mina, turning to the three children. "Who exactly are the three of you?"

The boy stepped forward. "It isn't exactly time for that explanation, to borrow a reason from General Malachite."

The three of them turned and ran up the street, with clearly supernatural speed.

A sudden jingling came from Mal's pocket. He pulled out a small silver phone and answered it. He muttered yes and few times and then closed it.

"I'm sorry, Mina, but I am needed elsewhere."

The white haired general walked over to an orange motorcycle, parked at the edge of the sidewalk. He pulled on the orange helmet and started the bike. In only seconds, he was gone.

* * *

Okay, I know I'm a little slow getting chapters out, and it may stay slow for a while. My own computer is malfunctioning, so I have to borrow my sister's and I won't get to use that very often! Sorry. And, I'm thinking Serena and Darien won't be getting back together for a while. It has to do with a problem that will get brought up in Hearts of Le Lune, when I actually get around to writing it. This may end up being a trilogy, depending on how I end up finishing this one! Sorry, again. Now, why don't you get down there and complain to me?


	12. Answers at Last

**Disclaimer:** I do NOT own Sailor Moon or any of the canon characters. Derek, Drake, and the others are my creation, however.

**Author's Note:**This is set during the Sailor Moon R break-up, when Darien is having the nightmares and breaks up with Serena. However, I have decided to make Rini a little older. She's now about ten years old, instead of four, just because of the plot line. Also, the other scouts are older, as everyone is now in high school except Hotaru. But, hey, this is AU. Also, when I refer to the five divisions of Terra, I refer to them by their direction from Elysian, thus North and South America, being to the East of Elysian, are the Eastern Division, Africa and the Middle East are the Western Division. Europe, Russia, Greenland, and Iceland are all the Northern Division, while Australia, Antarctica, and the Pacific Islands are the Southern Division. The rest of Asia would be Elysian. Galaxis High School is my creation, here. Its sort-of replacing the school Hotaru, Michelle, and Amara attended during the Heartsnatchers episodes, but since that isn't happening, I gave them a new school. (Too I can't remember the name!) This would be the school that Serena, Jason, Zack, Amara, and Michelle are attending.

**Author's Note: **From now on, I usually will be referring to Erebus as Aaron, his new name. Hopefully that won't be too confusing. If it is, let me know and I'll change it.

Chapter Twelve: Answers at Last

"It's really too bad Derek isn't feeling well," stated Aaron. "He so wanted to come and meet your new friends."

Darien nodded. "I was supposed to meet up with them here weeks ago. Then, things happened, and we kept having to reschedule. I'm just hoping this one actually works out. They've been wanting to meet Andrew since the day I mentioned him to them."

As if summoned, the blonde man sank down into the booth with the dark haired duo. "Finally, I'm clocked out."

"Didn't think you ever did, Andrew," joked Darien. "You're always here."

"It really does seem that way," laughed Andrew.

The bell, recently installed over the door, jangled as two men, both over six feet tall, strode into the Crown.

"Hey, Darien!" The taller of the two, with long brown hair, waved as they walked over. "It's nice to see you outside of the campus."

"Nate, Mal, hello!" Darien stood up as they arrived at the table.

The white haired man nodded. "We finally made it. You must be Andrew."

He held out his hand and shook the blonde's hand. Andrew bobbed his head as he also stood.

Aaron narrowed his eyes as he looked at the two new arrivals. Something about them seemed familiar. The tilt of Nate's head, or the stiffness in Mal's stance. He knew them, but he couldn't say how.

The bell sounded again as two more people entered the Crown. Both had blonde hair, though one had his down to the middle of his back, pulled into a ponytail that was draped over his shoulder. His companion had his hair shorter, so that the ends brushed his earlobes.

"Zack, good to see you again," stated Andrew. "And who is your friend?"

Mal turned and gave a grin. "Well, looks like my little brother and our annoying cousin also decided to drop in."

Jason Specter stuck his tongue out at the taller man. "Glad to see you, too, Mal."

"Thought we weren't going to see you until supper tonight," stated Nate. "You're working at Cherry Hill Temple today."

Zack nodded. "I'm driving him up there. We just stopped by on our way up there. I'm not going to be in, tonight. Amy and I are heading to a science conference, and we're eating up there. Just letting you know."

The frown on Aaron's face deepened. _Alright, exactly who are these guys? I know I know them. Who are they? By the Golden Crystal of Terra, who are they?_

Glass shattered as a youma dove through the recently replaced glass window in the front of the Crown. Skulls formed a belt around the waist of her black gown. Long, blood red nails, sharp as swords, stretched out towards the group.

"Now, then, where are the Generals?" The youma lifted her hand and pointed her nails directly at Aaron's throat/

_Great, with all these people around, how are Aaron and I supposed to transform?_ Darien's hand constricted around his transformation rose. _It's not exactly like I know Mal, Nate, Jason and Zack well enough to transform in front of them. And Zack already hates me enough as it is. I can't give him anything to use against me._

Just a few steps away from him, Mal palmed a small pink crystal. _Great. If I could, I'd transform in front of Darien. But Andrew, he's not one of us, and the black haired kid. There's something about him, but I don't know what it is._

However, the situation was taken out of their hands with a simple phrase. "Netherworld Nightmare Strike!"

A blast of dark grey energy hit the youma from behind. A tall man, dressed in a dark grey tuxedo with black lining on his cape and a black mask in front of his eyes, stood there. A silver staff, topped with a pewter skull, rested in his hands.

"I believe you have caused enough trouble," stated the dark man. "It's time to finish you off."

The youma whirled on him. Her red nails shot off her hand, flying towards him. His staff whirled before him, blocking the narrow missiles. The skull stopped, pointing directly at the youma.

"I said, that was enough." The man shifted his grip on the staff. "There is no other alternative."

The staff rose into the air, light glinting off the polished pewter. "I summon the power of the Netherworld. Cerberus Soul Tremors!"

Energy, shaped like black skulls, flew at the youma. She shrieked, before turning into a skeleton and collapsing into dust.

"That was extremely impressive," stated Andrew, shaking slightly.

The masked warrior turned to look at them, his gaze freezing on Aaron. His staff disappeared as he stepped forward. Dark grey light swirled around him, removing the tuxedo and mask. A black leather trench coat swirled around black jeans and a dark grey turtleneck. A pewter skull swung from a silver chain around his neck.

"Drake Miller?" Darien stated, his midnight blue eyes flying open wide.

Aaron shook his head. "No, Hades."

The teenager turned and took a second look at the others who stood there. _Could they really be them?_

Andrew stumbled slightly, grabbing the table for support. One hand came up to rub his forehead as a dizzy spell hit him.

* * *

"_Hey, Endymion, you won't believe this! I finally found it!"_

_Motoki ran towards the training yards, a small box held in his hands._

"_Found what?" The prince of Terra stepped away from the weapons rack._

"_The box you were looking for last week. The present you wanted to give your princess," explained his friend. "It was stuck in with the presents for your generals for the anniversary of their taking of the oaths of the Guard."_

"_What was it doing there?" Endymion shook his head. "Thank you, my friend."_

_The sound of arguing was heard as six figures entered from the other side of the training yards. Motoki grinned as he dropped the box into his pocket. He enjoyed spending time with his prince and the guard, something that was a common occurrence as the prince's squire._

_* * *_

Andrew lifted his head. "Endymion, Malachite, Jedite, Nephrite, Zoicite, Hades, Erebus."

His gaze fixed on each of them as he said their name.

Mal took a step forward, placing his hand on Andrew's shoulder. Their eyes met as he whispered, "Motoki! It is you!"

A flash of light surrounded everyone in the Crown. When it faded, the six Generals of Terra stood there, dressed in their grey uniforms, or in Aaron's case, black uniform. Darien shook his head, once again dressed in the dark armor he wore as prince of Terra. Andrew stood beside him, in a simpler version of the same armor, without the long cape.

"Okay, that's interesting," stated another voice.

The eight of them all turned to see a fourteen year old boy with shoulder-length blonde hair rose from where he had been hiding under one of the tables.

"You again," stated Mal, folding his arms. "Are you ready to explain now, Venusian Knight?"

The boy nodded. "I suppose we could."

"Though, we can't tell you everything. There's some stuff you have to figure out for yourself," stated another voice.

The teenaged girl with long platinum hair rose to stand beside the boy, straightening the orange bow in her hair.

"I'm Mora," she stated. "And this is my twin brother, Mitch."

"And the little one with you yesterday?" Mal demanded.

Mora shrugged. "Our younger sister, Addie. We came back in time from Crystal Tokyo, in the 30th Century."

Darien sank down onto the seat of the booth as the outfits from the Silver Millennium faded back into their normal clothes. "Care to tell us why you traveled back here?"

"We'll tell you as much as we can," stated Mitch. "It happened because, while Mora and I were training with our father, he suddenly vanished. Then, so did we, briefly. Our cousin, Zane, who was training with us, timed how long we were gone."

"According to him, it was only a few minutes, between the time our father disappeared and the time Mitch and I returned. Our father didn't," added Mora.

Zack frowned. "Your cousin, Zane, did he come back, too?"

"A lot of us did." Mitch nodded. "Zane, and his little sister, Sophie. Our friends, Nick and Nita, who also train with us, and Nita's friends, Grace and Jordan, who also hang out with Mora."

"Another of our friends, he happens to be a little bit psychic, had a vision, just after everything happened. He was looking for a reason as to why this had happened." Mora wrung her hands, staring at the floor. "He said, in his vision, that the reason our father vanished, was because Jedite was killed by Ares and Malachite was killed by Adonis."

"But Adonis is already dead," stated Darien. "He was killed around the same time as Sailor V. He was known as Ace Kaitou, back then."

Mora shook her head. "We don't know how, but he came back, somehow. He will try to kill Malachite."

"Our friend, he said it had something to do with the fact that the Vault of Souls was opened," added Mitch.

Drake frowned. "The Vault of Souls? What exactly is that?"

Mitch and Mora shrugged in unison. "He didn't say."

* * *

Three cloaked figures walked through Elysian, almost invisible under the night sky. The shortest one wore a cloak of darkest violet, huddling close to the other two, one wearing dark red and the other dark grey. They approached a small stone building, with it's door surrounded by small cubbies.

"There it is," muttered the one in the dark red cloak. "The Vault of Souls."

The one in the dark grey cloak nodded. "Can you tell if it really has been opened?"

Red Cloak stepped forward, tracing the symbols carved into the niches. As he traced the symbol, a small crystal emerged from the symbol and then slid back in.

"Yeah, it's been opened," he answered, tracing the last symbol, a skull, causing the flicker of a small pewter skull. "The question is by who."

A buzzing sounded from Grey Cloak's pocket. A white gloved hand emerged, holding a small communicator. With a press of a finger, a small screen appeared in mid-air. Three people crowded together in the small screen.

A ten year old girl with long blonde hair squeezed her way between two boys. One was also ten, with black hair and violet eyes, while the other, a sixteen year old, had dark green hair and crimson eyes.

"Any news?" the girl demanded.

Red Cloak stepped forward. "Not yet, Jenna. We're still working on it."

"Hayden," stated Grey Cloak, "can you get into the Netherworld? Check on the status of the souls of General Malachite and General Jedite. We need to make sure they stay stable until we can bring them back."

The dark green haired boy nodded. "I can do that. I'll contact you if anything has changed since you left."

"Is there anything we can do to help?" The other boy eagerly demanded, "I have to be able to do something."

"Carter, you're doing the most important thing as it is," answered Red Cloak. "You are keeping Crystal Tokyo in place until we can make sure it exists. That's what we really need right now. As long as you three protect Crystal Tokyo, then we can focus on finding out what the problem is. Although, we have confirmed the opening of the Vault of Souls."

"Just be careful, all of you," ordered Hayden.

The three cloaked figures nodded and Grey Cloak ended the transmission.

* * *

Thank you to everyone who's been reviewing! Keep it up! Please? I am going to try and keep posting as often as I can. I know, this chapter is fairly short, and chances are it is confusing. I will hopefully clear this up within the next two chapters!


	13. Deadly Time

**Disclaimer:** I do NOT own Sailor Moon or any of the canon characters. Derek, Drake, and the others are my creation, however.

**Author's Note: **This is set during the Sailor Moon R break-up, when Darien is having the nightmares and breaks up with Serena. However, I have decided to make Rini a little older. She's now about ten years old, instead of four, just because of the plot line. Also, the other scouts are older, as everyone is now in high school except Hotaru. But, hey, this is AU. Also, when I refer to the five divisions of Terra, I refer to them by their direction from Elysian, thus North and South America, being to the East of Elysian, are the Eastern Division, Africa and the Middle East are the Western Division. Europe, Russia, Greenland, and Iceland are all the Northern Division, while Australia, Antarctica, and the Pacific Islands are the Southern Division. The rest of Asia would be Elysian. Galaxis High School is my creation, here. Its sort-of replacing the school Hotaru, Michelle, and Amara attended during the Heartsnatchers episodes, but since that isn't happening, I gave them a new school. (Too I can't remember the name!) This would be the school that Serena, Jason, Zack, Amara, and Michelle are attending.

Chapter Thirteen: Deadly Time

Two dark haired figures stood at the edge of the lake, in Juuban Park. Both stared out over the water, watching the sun as it sank below the horizon.

Midnight blue eyes focused on the water. "So, when are the five of you coming back?"

"I thought we explained this to you yesterday, Darien. We can't return to your service. Not yet," stated Drake, pinching the bridge of his nose. "We are in the service of Princess Serenity, until she releases us."

The ebony haired man turned to him. "Then ask her to release you. You five belong by my side."

"We can't ask. Serena needs us more than you do."

Darien looked at him, incredulous. "Serena needs you more? What about me? I need my generals back."

The general of the netherworld wrapped his hand around his pewter skull, fiddling with it. "I'm sorry, Darien. We cannot ask to be released from the vow. It doesn't work that way. We have to wait until Serena agrees."

"By the way, how did the four of them come back from the dead, anyway?" A frown crossed Darien's face. "According to Helios, they could only have been brought back by the Golden Crystal. Yet, I've never used it to summon them."

Drake shrugged. "I'm not sure how it happened. Somehow, the Silver Crystal brought them back. They are bound as much to the Silver Crystal as they are to the Golden Crystal. I don't understand how, but they are."

"Well, if it weren't for the fact that Jedite is as bound as the others, I'd say it was from the marriage vow they took in the Silver Millennium," stated Trista, walking up to the pair. "Their lives were bound together by the vow. Jedite never took that vow. He never married Rei."

Drake nodded. "So, that can't really be the explanation. Not unless Jedite found another way to give the vow, without marrying her."

Darien bent his head, twisting a rose between his fingers. His eyes narrowed in concentration as he examined the connections between his generals and the Golden Crystal.

"You are right, though. I do still feel all of you connected to the Golden Crystal, but only Aaron isn't torn elsewhere," he remarked. "Although, your connection is stronger than the others."

Midnight blue eyes met crimson ones as Drake rubbed his chin. He was about to make a response when Aaron came running up to them, his dark eyes wide and terrified.

"Darien, something's coming! Something terrible. I don't know what." The teenager panted, bending over and placing his hands just above his knees.

"How right you were, little one!"

The four people whirled to see the youma that had materialized behind Aaron. She had long white hair, held back with a rainbow colored ribbon. A belt of skulls wrapped around the waist of her copper armor. When she smiled, a mouth full of shark teeth emerged.

"What in the world?" Drake yelped, stepping backward. "It looks like a combination of several youma."

"I am created from those who were killed by you and your kind," declared the youma.

A rainbow whip shot from her hand and caught Aaron, sending him flying backward and into Drake. The two brothers fell back, into the lake.

A lavender wand dropped into Trista's hand. "Pluto Star Power!"

In less than a second, Trista Meioh had vanished and Sailor Pluto stood in her place. She lifted her Time Key Staff before her, as the two men climbed out of the water, dripping onto the ground beside Darien.

"Pluto Dead Scream!" The ball of energy shot from her staff, but the youma jumped over it easily.

Darien drew out his rose as Drake removed his skull from its chain and Aaron lifted out his obsidian dagger from his pocket.

"Cerberus of Terra!"

"Terran Wyvern of Obsidian!"

Three of the city's masked heroes in tuxedos stood beside Sailor Pluto. Roses flew from Tuxedo Mask's hands as the generals both summoned their own staffs, a silver one topped with a pewter skull and a plain ebony one.

"Shadow Darkness Surround!" Tuxedo Wyvern's staff spun around, sending black shadows towards the creature.

Tuxedo Cerberus swung his own staff into the air, pointing the skull at the youma and sending dark grey, skull shaped energy blasts out. "I summon the power of the Netherworld. Cerberus Soul Tremors!"

To their complete amazement, the youma avoided both of their attacks, something that had never happened to either of them. Their attacks had always connected and done damage.

"Fine. Our turn now! Breezing Deep Shaking!" Sailor Neo-Uranus came running up behind the youma, her attack also being deflected.

"Try this one on for size," yelled Neo-Neptune, appearing beside her partner. "Tidal World Submerge!"

And still the youma avoided the blast of energy.

The tiny scout known as Neo-Saturn walked out of the shadows, her glaive lifted high. "Dark Glaive of Silence!"

Her glaive descended towards the youma and passed right through it. The monster was unfazed by the weapon, sending an attack right back at the Neo-Scouts.

Another figure, also dressed in a sailor fuku came jumping up from a boat on the lake. Her black skirt and sailor scarf fluttered in the wind. White gloves ended in black cuffs, just above her wrists. Part of her pale, green-grey hair was pulled up in a bun at the back of her head, the rest of it falling to her knees.

"What's this? Another new player?" The youma laughed and flung long red fingernails at the new arrival. "Care to dance, pretty one?"

The new scout smiled, garnet red eyes flashing. "I am Sailor Neo-Pluto, and I will not back down!"

A ball of crimson energy appeared between her hands and she pulled it back. Using both hands, she formed it into the size of a baseball and pitched it forward. "Dead Unworldly Scream!"

The ball smashed into the youma's stomach, temporarily winding it.

A high pitched laugh echoed across the park. A pale woman, with ebony hair flowing past her feet, sat on top of a light pole. Her long black velvet dress was trimmed in crimson silk, which matched her glowing eyes.

"How do you kill something that's already dead?" The woman's laughter filled the air.

Tuxedo Cerberus took a step towards her, a look of horror appearing as his crimson eyes widened behind his mask. "Persephone? What are you doing?"

"Persephone?" Tuxedo Wyvern moved to stand beside his brother, looking at the woman. "But you can't reallly be here! You couldn't have been called back like I was, and Hades is the only one of us who didn't die!"

Persephone ran her hand through her hair, looking down her nose at the two of them. "Whoever said anything about my still being alive? I'm as dead as the youma I've sent to destroy you. Now, let the game continue. Take them all down, my pet."

"Gladly, Mistress Persephone." The youma unleashed another shark-like smile.

Sailor Pluto turned to her companions. "We have to stop Persephone. If we take her down, the youma looses its power and we can stop it, before it hurts anyone."

"She's right." Tuxedo Mask nodded. "We have to take down Persephone."

Tuxedo Cerberus merely shook his head, unable to take his gaze off of the woman. "I will not attack my little sister, Tuxedo Mask. I cannot harm her. Not when I swore that I would do all I could to protect her."

"Tuxedo Wyvern, can you handle it?" Sailor Pluto asked.

The young warrior stared at the ground. "No, I can't attack Persephone. It wouldn't be right. She doesn't deserve that kind of behavior from either of us."

"Well then," declared Neo-Uranus, walking over with Neo-Neptune and Neo-Saturn right behind her. "We shall try to take down Persephone and the youma."

The pale, green-grey haired scout known as Neo-Pluto shook her own head, turning to face Neo-Neptune.

"You aren't strong enough, Neo-Uranus. Not even Neo-Saturn has enough power to take down Persephone," she stated, her ruby eyes meeting the aquamarine ones in Neo-Uranus's face. "I have to be the one who takes Persephone down. I'm the only one with enough power to do it."

Neo-Saturn reached up and placed her hand on Neo-Pluto's arm. The older scout bent down so Neo-Saturn could whisper in her ear.

"I have faith in you, Neo-Pluto. The question is, do you have faith in yourself?" The littlest scout's voice was barely loud enough for Neo-Pluto to hear her.

Neo-Pluto nodded and rose back to her feet, summoning her attack energy as she moved.

"Dead Unworldly Scream!"

The attack spun at Persephone, who batted it away with her hand. "You'll have to do better than that, little one."

Two pairs of crimson eyes met as Neo-Pluto drew in a deep breath.

_She's really leaving me no choice. I don't want to have to do this. I'd much rather have left this all to Hayden. He'd know what to do, _Neo-Pluto bit her lip as she thought. _Well, no use complaining. Hayden isn't here. So, what would my dearest older brother tell me to do if he could? That's right. Take down Persephone. And use that attack to do it. I just have to get us both in the right positions._

Neo-Pluto leapt into the air, past the worried Tuxedos Cerberus and Wyvern. Her hair whirled around her as she lured Persephone off of the light post and onto the ground, until she was finally directly in front of the ebony-haired woman.

"I really hate to have to do this," whispered Neo-Pluto. "But the shadow in your soul gives me not other choice."

A soccer ball sized orb of garnet energy appeared in Neo-Pluto's upraised right hand. "Dead Nightmare Charge."

She pressed the energy inside of Persephone, her own hand disappearing inside the woman. Neo-Pluto's eyes narrowed as she released the energy and took a grip on Persephone's soul. The shadow was blasted backward, leaving a now translucent woman behind, looking down at Neo-Pluto with hope in her crimson eyes.

"You actually did it, little one. You've saved me as your friends have saved the others." A genuine, soft smile crossed Persephone's face. "Now it is time to reseal me. You know how to do it, little Neo-Pluto."

The shorter girl nodded and released her grip on Persephone's soul. A garnet orb dropped out of her sub-space pocket and landed in her hand.

"Aunt Persephone, guide my soul. Neo-Cerberus Power!" Red light grabbed Persephone and pulled her inside the orb.

Unlike the other times that people had been sealed, the orb continued to glow, altering itself. The light pulsed until the orb was no longer so smooth. Neo-Pluto lifted the former orb, revealing a garnet skull. A pulse of light jumped from the skull and into the red crystal in the front of Sailor Neo-Pluto's uniform, transforming it into a skull, also. Her gloves lengthened to cover up to her elbows, but the cuffs lightened from black to dark grey. Her sailor scarf and her skirt lightened as well, while the two crimson bows on the uniform darkened to black. The only color left on her uniform was the red skull nestled into the front bow. Only her tall black boots didn't change

She looked up, holding out the former orb that held Persephone's soul and a small silver key. Both rose into the air, swirling around each other. In another flash of light, they became a staff, similar in form to Sailor Pluto's, but topped by a large skull instead of her garnet orb inside the lavender cage.

"I am now Sailor Cerberus, Sailor Scout of Death and Keeper of Souls, Guardian of the gates of Deadly Time," declared the former Neo-Pluto. "This time, you will not escape my power."

She turned to the undead youma, holding the staff across her body. "Unworldly Deadly Shriek!"

A crimson edged ball of pewter colored energy sped from the top of her staff, directly into the youma's open mouth. It shuddered several times before it finally collapsed.

Sailor Cerberus dropped to her knees, her uniform fading around her, leaving behind a knee-length black skirt, a black no-sleeved t-shirt, and a pair of black combat boots. Trembling, she forced herself to her feet, pulling a long black leather trench coat from her sub-space pocket and wrapping it around her.

The Neo-Outers rushed over to her, pulling her arms over their shoulders and letting her lean on them.

"Thank you," she whispered. "Now, let's get out of here."

The four young girls vanished into the approaching night, surrounded by shadows summoned by Neo-Saturn.

* * *

Across the city, at Cherry Hill Temple, a small, fourteen year old boy, with ebony hair, ducked inside the Fire Room. The flames reflecting in his blue-violet eyes, he stared into the fire, letting his mind wander. The visions came and went, passing swiftly through his mind, just letting him get a taste of what needed to be said. He sighed and walked away from the fire.

_Nothing's changed, yet_, he thought, running a hand through his hair. _Not yet. We still haven't gotten to the bottom of it. And there's still nothing to tell me how Adonis survived and came back to open the Vault of Souls. I have to find the answers, and quickly. Time is running out!_

_

* * *

_Author's Note: I was really hoping to have this up a lot sooner than what I did. Still having to work off of my sister's computer! She's so picky about letting me onto it! The sooner I can get my own fixed, the better. I do apologize for any misspellings and stuff like that. The spell checker I'm using is a little odd. It kept underlining only half a word and calling it incorrectly misspelled, so I didn't really trust it. I hope to get the next chapters up soon. I'm only planning on about six more to finish this part of it. Enough rambling from me. Get down there and drop me a review. Please?

Okay, and if you're waiting for the next chapter, it will be a little bit. I'm putting this one on hold in order to write the real beginning of this, which you'll find under the story Hearts of Le Lune! Please, do me a favor and read that one! It'll answer a few questions about Vault of Souls!


	14. Phoenix and Fire

**Disclaimer:** I do NOT own Sailor Moon or any of the canon characters. Derek, Drake, and the others are strictly figments that have escaped from my imagination.

**Author's Note: **This is set during the Sailor Moon R break-up, when Darien is having the nightmares and breaks up with Serena. However, I have decided to make Rini a little older. She's now about ten years old, instead of four, just because of the plot line. Also, the other scouts are older, as everyone is now in high school except Hotaru. But, hey, this is AU. Also, when I refer to the five divisions of Terra, I refer to them by their direction from Elysian, thus North and South America, being to the East of Elysian, are the Eastern Division, Africa and the Middle East are the Western Division. Europe, Russia, Greenland, and Iceland are all the Northern Division, while Australia, Antarctica, and the Pacific Islands are the Southern Division. The rest of Asia would be Elysian. Galaxis High School is my creation, here. Its sort-of replacing the school Hotaru, Michelle, and Amara attended during the Heartsnatchers episodes, but since that isn't happening, I gave them a new school. (Too I can't remember the name!) This would be the school that Serena, Jason, Zack, Amara, and Michelle are attending.

Chapter 14: Phoenix and Fire

"Sun, moon, stars, planets," Raye chanted. "Guide me, help me see what the darkness is plotting."

Her eyes drifted closed as she moved her hands in the sacred formations, beseeching the Sacred Fire for any information. She didn't figure she would get much from it. It had been months since she'd been able to get anything from the flames. Sighing, she opened her eyes and started to rise from the floor. She blinked in surprise. An image had appeared in the flames. Jason was fighting against a youma. The creature appeared female, as they always did. Burnished steel armor clung to her, and a heavy sword was in her hands.

Raye paled as she watched the youma deal a blow to Jason. The young man rolled across the ground, but did not transform into Tuxedo Phoenix.

"What is he waiting for? He'll be killed if he doesn't transform!" Raye bit her lip, before whirling to the door.

She ran down the narrow porch that surrounded the temple. The scene at the top of the stairs, however, froze her in her tracks.

Jason ran away from the youma, flipping over a bench, while her grandpa stood in a corner, chanting with a paper held in his hands.

_That's why he didn't transform. Grandpa's watching. But what can I do? Without telling Grandpa what I've been doing?_ Raye looked around, trying to find some way of distracting the youma so they could get her grandfather to safety.

Suddenly, her two pet crows, Phobos and Deimos, took off into the air, flying directly at the youma. Raye instantly grabbed the diversion, running over to her grandfather and dragging him away from the monster. Jason was right on her heels. The three of them ducked into the booth where Raye and her grandpa sold the good luck charms and other talismans that paid for the temple.

"What were you thinking, taking on that creature by yourself?" The priestess angrily punched Jason's shoulder. "You could have gotten yourself killed!"

The blonde man turned to face her, his bright blue eyes wide. "I didn't know you cared, Miss Hino."

A faint blush covered her cheeks as she turned to watch the youma cast her two crows to the ground.

"No! Phobos! Deimos!" Tears fell down her cheeks. "That was uncalled for!"

Her hand dropped into her pocket, tightening around her transformation wand. Then she heard her grandpa cough behind her.

She turned to see him with his arms wrapped around his chest, his face pale. The small man let out a groan and curled up on the ground.

"Grandpa! What's wrong?" Raye hurried to him and wrapped an arm around his shoulder.

"He was taking on the creature by himself when I got here," explained Jason. "I think he got hurt before I arrived. I don't know how long they'd been fighting before that."

Raye shook her head. How could her grandpa have been fighting a youma and she hadn't known it? Angrily, she brushed away the tears in the corners of her eyes and pulled her grandpa's arm away from his chest. A thin gash appeared in his robes, with a long red line on his skin underneath.

"I'll be fine, Raye. Don't worry about me." Grandpa coughed again.

"You won't be fine for long, old man."

All three of them turned to see who had spoken. A tall man with shoulder-length black hair had appeared next to the youma. Leather armor covered him, from the breastplate he wore, to the armguards, and kilt. Tall black leather boots covered his legs up to his knees. In one hand he carried a heavy leather whip and in the other he lifted a large sword with a silver hilt.

"I am Ares, King of Mars. None dare to stand against me. Now, submit to me, and I might show you mercy." The tall man strode forward, his dark eyes narrowed.

Grandpa shoved Raye's arm aside and struggled to his feet. "You don't know the meaning of mercy, Ares. You never have. I was a fool to allow my daughter to marry you, but I had hoped she could see something I didn't. I was wrong. Both in this time, and in the last."

Ares growled, swinging his whip. The leather caught Grandpa and sent him back to the ground. Raye started forward, her violet eyes blazing, but Jason's hand on her arm stopped her. Grandpa was pushing himself back to his feet.

A ball of fire emerged into his hand, flickering red and orange, with occasional glimpses of dark purple. Grandpa drew back his hand and flung the fireball in Ares' direction. The ball sailed past him, missing by inches.

"Old fool, you missed. And that was all the power you had at your disposal," chuckled Ares. "You'll die by my hand, again."

"I wasn't aiming for you, Ares." Grandpa dropped to his knees, his skin waxy and his eyes glassy.

The king of Mars stared down at him, a look of puzzlement crossing his face.

Raye shrugged off Jason's hand and ran to wrap her arms around her grandpa, determined to do all she could to protect him. Jason trailed right behind her, his hands clenched tightly into fists.

"If you were not aiming at me, who were you aiming at?" Ares demanded.

"He was aiming at me!" A voice sounded from behind Ares.

All heads turned to see a fourteen year old boy emerge from behind a cherry tree, the ball of fire bouncing up and down on his open palm. Black hair curled around his ears, and blue-violet eyes peered out from under his black bangs. He didn't look very impressive, dressed in blue jeans and a red t-shirt, with battered red Converse sneakers on his feet.

"And who might you be, boy?" A sneer crossed the face of Mars' king.

"You don't recognize me, do you?" The boy stepped forward. "You really don't know who I am?"

The king shook his head. "Should I?"

Fire surrounded the boy as he lifted the ball of fire high into the air. The symbol of Mars blazed on his forehead as his clothing was replaced by a dark red version of Jedite's general uniform, with white trim. A long cloak dropped from his shoulders, swirling around his feet, and the symbol of Mars was hidden behind a wide leather band that wrapped around his head.

"You!" Ares lifted his sword. "How dare you return!"

"So, you still can't even say my name? Somehow I'm not surprised!"

Ares strode forward, as the boy lowered the ball of fire. A grin crossed the boy's face as a second ball of flame appeared in his other hand. Instead of dark purple flecks inside the flames, there danced occasional glimmers of pure gold.

"I call upon the powers of Prisma and Ember, the phoenixes of Mars and Terra!" The boy lifted both spheres into the air.

The two spheres leapt out of his hands, spinning around each other, before merging into a single orb. The flames flickered rapidly, shifting out of their form, into the shape of a bow and a single arrow. The boy stretched out his hands, taking both the bow and arrow. With a practiced ease, he nocked the arrow and fired.

Ares bit back a yelp as the arrow landed in his left arm, forcing him to drop the whip.

The boy grinned as the bow and arrow turned back into flames and flew into his chest. He drew a small red orb from his pocket and lifted it before him.

"Neo-Mars Power!"

Flames surrounded him again, turning his outfit into a blood red tuxedo, complete with cape and top hat. A dark purple mask settled across his face, matching the lining on his cape.

"I am the Martian Knight, and I am no longer afraid of you, Ares," he declared, apparently quite calm.

The king of Mars lifted his sword. "You will learn to fear me again, Grandson!"

A smile crossed the boy's face as he leapt away from Ares.

Raye gasped. That was Jacob Jedite? But he was dead, wasn't he? He couldn't actually be here. But, they had seen him when he took them back into the past.

Grandpa turned to look at his granddaughter. "I want you and Jason to get rid of that youma. I know all about you being Sailor Mars. I don't know how I ended up carrying one of those Shadow Warriors into this life, but I do remember the Silver Millennium now, Raye. Jason, I know you are the reincarnated form of General Jedite, and I trust you now, as I did back then. I recognized you as soon as you arrived, you silly bow."

The two of them stared down at the short man, who continued, "Now, don't worry about me. I'll be fine. Just get rid of that creature."

Raye nodded and drew out her transformation wand, while Jason pulled out the small rock of jedite he carried with him.

"Mars Star Power!"

"Phoenix of Terra!"

Sailor Mars and Tuxedo Phoenix leapt forward, attacking the youma. The creature had been distracted by the appearance of Ares and the beginning of the battle with the Martian Knight, leaving her completely open to the combined fury of the two warriors. Having been so unprepared, it didn't take long for her to fall.

"Phoenix Dark Spirit Dispel!" Jason shouted, throwing forward a thin white paper.

Raye folded her hands before her. "Mars Celestial Fire Surround!"

From the dust remains of the youma, Raye pulled out the silver coin, engraved with a sword and whip. The two of them turned to see the Martian Knight leap into the air.

"Time to finish this, Ares. You won't be hurting anyone anymore!" Martian Knight folded his own hands. "Mars Phoenix Sacred Celestial Fire Surround!"

Orbs of fire blasted into Ares, turning him into a ghostly form of himself. More flames surrounded him, trapping him inside a small red crystal.

The Martian Knight dropped to the ground, his transformation fading as soon as his feet hit the ground. He hurried over to Grandpa, placing a hand above the gash the youma had created. A red light covered his hand and then quickly faded. When he lifted his hand away, it was as if Grandpa had never been injured.

"There. Thank you. You've kept it safe, all these years," stated the boy.

Grandpa nodded. "You asked me to, remember?"

The boy bowed his head and rose, walking toward the long flight of stairs.

"Wait! Jacob Jedite!" Raye called after him.

"I don't go by that, any more," he called back. "They call me J. J., now!"

Jason ran after him, grabbing his arm before he could start down the stairs. "I believe we deserve an explanation, J. J."

The boy sighed. "I can't give you one here and now. It's too complicated for that, and I'd like to only have to explain it once. Can you get everyone together tomorrow? And I mean everyone. The Inner Scouts, the Outer Scouts, the Tuxedo Knights, even Darien and Serena. I'll bring the others from the future, but Derek and Rini are up to you. Don't forget Aaron Erebus Miller, either."

Jason looked over at Raye, who nodded. "We'll do it. We'll get everyone together, tomorrow."

"The best place would be the mansion. More comfortable there, after all."

Raye walked over. "I think I know how we can manage that."

J. J. smiled. "I'll see you all tomorrow then."

Reluctantly, Jason let go of the boy's arm, and he dashed down the steps, to where two figures waited, both dressed in black.

* * *

Zack pulled his convertible up in front of Juuban High School. "Why does Jason want me to bring all of them up to the mansion? Something's definitely up."

He watched as Amy walked backward across the school yard, talking to Mina and Lita. The taller girl narrowed her eyes as she spotted his car parked out front. She must have said something to Amy, because the bluenette turned around, a bright blush across her face. Mina laughed at her friend's behavior.

The three of the all walked up to him.

"Hello, ladies. I'm here to offer an invitation to Moon Mansion," he stated, motioning to the open seats in his car. "I'm to take all three of you up there for the big powwow that's being thrown together, right now."

Amy nodded. "I'm sure we'd love to go. Serena's going to be there, after all."

Lita's eyes widened, as she turned to look at Amy. "We're being invited to Serena's new house?"

"What are we waiting for?" Mina demanded, leaping into the back seat of the car.

Slowly, Lita followed her, sitting directly behind the front passenger's seat, where Amy sat.

* * *

Derek walked out of Juuban Junior High, Hotaru and Aaron walking right beside him. A yellow convertible waited at the curb, a tall blonde behind the wheel, with a girl with aquamarine hair sitting behind her.

"Hotaru, hello. We're to bring you and your fellow classmates up to the mansion today," stated the blonde, smirking. "Jason's insistence, actually. Why we're agreeing, I don't know, but we are. Rini is getting a ride from Nate, actually. She'll meet us up there."

The dark girl smiled and climbed into the back seat, followed cautiously by Aaron and Derek.

"Don't worry too much. Darien will be joining us, too," assured the aquamarine haired girl. "Drake's going to go get him."

Aaron smiled. "Good to know he'll be in my big brother's hands."

"I'm Amara," stated the blonde, "and my girlfriend here is Michelle."

"It's a pleasure to meet you," stated Derek.

* * *

Andrew and Darien stood outside the Crown, waiting for Derek.

"So, you actually have another day off, Andrew?" Darien demanded.

The blonde man nodded. "Yeah. Not sure what I'm going to do, though. Rita's not in town. She's still in Africa, or I'd spend the day hanging out with her."

"Well, I suppose you could always join us," stated a deep voice.

A black sedan pulled up to the curb, the window rolled down. Drake leaned over and looked at them through the passenger's side front window.

"You're invited up to the Moon Mansion. Aaron and Derek are on their way up there, now," stated the general of the underworld. "It's time we all sat down and tried to figure out just what is really going on here."

Darien nodded and walked over to the car, opening the front passenger door. Andrew looked back over his shoulder before shrugging and climbing into the back seat.

"Let's go."

* * *

Okay, I'm back on Vault of Souls. I warn you now, the next chapter will probably be a little confusing. Everyone's all going to be in the same place, which means a whole lot of people! Eventually, I hope to get back to Hearts of Le Lune, but it may be a little while. Thanks for reading. Now, can you please leave a review? I know a lot of you are reading this! It hurts that only a few of you can actually take the time to leave a little message. I don't really care what it is. Please, just leave something!


	15. The Last Guard and the Crystal Guard

**Disclaimer:** I do NOT own Sailor Moon or any of the canon characters. Derek, Drake, and the others are solely creations that have escaped from my imagination.

**Author's Note: **This is set during the Sailor Moon R break-up, when Darien is having the nightmares and breaks up with Serena. However, I have decided to make Rini a little older. She's now about ten years old, instead of four, just because of the plot line. Also, the other scouts are older, as everyone is now in high school except Hotaru. But, hey, this is AU. Also, when I refer to the five divisions of Terra, I refer to them by their direction from Elysian, thus North and South America, being to the East of Elysian, are the Eastern Division, Africa and the Middle East are the Western Division. Europe, Russia, Greenland, and Iceland are all the Northern Division, while Australia, Antarctica, and the Pacific Islands are the Southern Division. The rest of Asia would be Elysian. Galaxis High School is my creation, here. Its sort-of replacing the school Hotaru, Michelle, and Amara attended during the Heartsnatchers episodes, but since that isn't happening, I gave them a new school. (Too I can't remember the name!) This would be the school that Serena, Jason, Zack, Amara, and Michelle are attending.

Chapter Fifteen: The Last Guard and the Crystal Guard

Three cars pulled up in front of the large white mansion. The yellow convertible quickly pulled into its spot next to the orange motorcycle, while the pale blue convertible slid up next to the blushing pink one. The black sedan easily found its way to the back of the line, beside the black van.

"Welcome to Moon Mansion," declared Amara, as they all climbed out. "Just follow us."

Derek hurried over to walk beside Darien, not caring if it made him look a little childish. Aaron immediately followed him, keeping himself at least two steps behind Darien, as he had been trained, so long ago. He caught the smirk on Drake's face as the older Miller pulled open the front door.

A pink haired blur came running out, hurrying to stand beside Hotaru. Rini bounced up and down beside her friend, eagerly.

"Do you have any idea why Jason's calling this meeting?" The small girl demanded. "I tried and tried to get him to talk, but he wouldn't. He disappeared shortly after supper last night, and he's already down at the Sacred Fire, now."

Hotaru laughed softly. "Do slow down, Rini. I can't keep up with you."

"That's not difficult. She's such a yam head," muttered Derek, rolling his eyes.

Rini whirled around to stare at him, her tongue sticking out of her mouth.

"Children," stated Drake, using his most serious tone and expression.

Aaron bit back a chuckle as Rini and Derek both looked down at the ground, silenced.

Amara and Michelle both shook their heads as they led the way down a long hall to a large room, filled with armchairs, sofas, and beanbag chairs.

Trista already sat in a black leather armchair, dressed in her normal lavender suit. Drake walked over and dropped down onto the black leather ottoman by her feet. Slowly, the others began claiming their own seats. A mustard yellow armchair with an aquamarine ottoman soon held Amara and Michelle, while Zack and Amy moved to share a pale blue loveseat. Hotaru quickly perched herself in a purple armchair near Amara and Michelle, as Rini slid onto a pink ottoman beside a throne-like white armchair.

Darien sank down into a large black armchair opposite the white one, with Derek immediately claiming the black beanbag chair nearby and Aaron stood just behind it. When the ebon haired man looked at the teenager, he shrugged.

"I'd prefer to stand."

"Normally, so would I, but I have a feeling this might take a while," drawled Mal, walking over to take the orange armchair just to the left of Rini and the white throne.

Andrew slowly sat down on a tan footstool, just off to Darien's left. Lita and Mina claimed another of the loveseats, not too far from Darien, but also where Mina happened to have a good view of Mal, coincidentally. However, the tall brunette leapt to her feet almost immediately, when an extremely tall man walked into the room. Long brown hair fell loosely past his shoulders as he strode over to take the green armchair beside Mal.

"Nephrite!" Lita growled, as Mina grabbed a hold of her arm. "Why am I not surprised to see you here?"

Nate sighed. "This really isn't the time to get into this, Sailor Jupiter."

"Lita, please. What happened in the Silver Millennium wasn't what you thought it was," pleaded Amy, rising from her own seat, Zack's hand in hers.

"Amy's right." Raye strode into the room, Jason right behind her. "You need to let go of what you thought happened, Lita. It didn't. They didn't betray us."

Drake, Mal, Zack, Nate, and Jason all looked at the fiery priestess with identical astonished expressions. Raye was defending them?

As Lita slowly sank back into her seat, Raye and Jason both moved to join them. The blonde man sat down in the second to last armchair, a worn red one, extremely battered compared to the others in the room. Every look of surprise deepened as Raye lowered herself to sit on the equally battered red footstool before him.

"Raye, are you feeling alright?" Mina asked, her blue eyes filled with concern.

"I'm fine, Mina. Yes, I am well aware of where I'm sitting." The priestess nodded, before turning to look back at Jason. "Let's say I've had some time to think things over, and I realize now what I should have realized then."

The blonde man behind her nodded as he took a deep breath. Artemis and Luna, having jumped in with Darien and Andrew, curled up next to Lita and Mina. The Tuxedo Knights and Outer Scouts looked nervously toward the closed door at the far end of the room. It creaked open as Serena glided into the room.

Brilliant blue eyes narrowed as she gazed around the room, taking in all of its occupants. Tilting her head back, slightly, she strode across the floor, pointedly ignoring Darien, Lita, and Mina as she walked past them. The only thing that got past the cold mask she wore was the flicker of surprise at seeing Raye beside Jason.

"I take it you had a reason for calling us all here, Jason?" Serena's voice was as frosty as her facial expressions as she gracefully sank into the white throne.

He nodded. "Not everyone is here, yet."

One eyebrow lifted as the princess stared at her knight.

A swirl of shadows drew their attention, as five children materialized in the middle of the room. The first to be clearly seen was a fourteen-year-old girl with long brown hair pulled into a high ponytail, dressed in a dark green turtleneck, a short denim skirt, and knee-high brown boots. Right behind her was a boy who was obviously her twin, with the same brown hair, pulled back in a low ponytail. His jeans were tucked into the tops of his battered brown hiking boots, and he had thrown a brown leather jacket over his long-sleeved green t-shirt.

"Hi, there. I'm Nita, also known as Sailor Gryphon," stated the girl, walking over to a green bean-bag chair.

The boy bowed slightly. "I'm the Jovian Knight, but you can all call me..."

He didn't get to finish before Derek leapt up, throwing his arms around the boy.

"Nick! Am I glad to see you!" The lavender haired boy shouted.

"Derek! Can't breathe!" Nick joked, and the other boy dropped back, looking apologetic. Then, Nick grabbed him in just as tight a hug. "I've missed you too, idiot!"

Two more figures approached, out of the swirling shadows. Both were also fourteen-year-old girls, though one was slightly shorter than the other was. The shorter of the two had shoulder length dark blonde hair, and she wore a ruffled white blouse with a long yellow skirt. The other girl, who wore jeans, an aquamarine t-shirt, and battered white sneakers, had her aquamarine hair cut short.

The blonde spoke first. "I am Grace, or as you know me better, Neo-Sailor Uranus. This is my partner, and my twin sister, Jordan."

"Or, as you all know me, Neo-Sailor Neptune," stated Jordan, following her sister over to two more of the beanbag chairs. "Great place you have here."

A faint cough signaled the fading of the shadows, as a small girl walked out of them, an extremely tall scythe held in her hands. Dressed in a black turtleneck, black tights, black boots, and a black skirt, she seemed almost ghostly, especially with her chin-length black hair, wide dark eyes, and pale skin.

"I know you," stated Darien. "You were the one who asked for me to restore Aaron."

The girl nodded. "I am Neo-Sailor Saturn. I am also called Hope."

A large black hole appeared next to Hope, similar to the one Drake used to arrive at the Galaxis cram class to claim the Mercurian Knight and Sailor Sphinx. A small girl with pale blonde hair came dashing out of it, dressed in a pale yellow sundress.

"Addie!" Rini screamed, throwing herself at the newest arrival. "Addie! Addie! Addie!"

Addie giggled. "Missed you, Rini! Who else am I supposed to take shopping?"

"You could try doing something else," muttered a voice.

Mitch and Mora marched out of the portal, looking extremely annoyed with their younger sister.

"Mitch! You're here, too!" Derek immediately tackled the blonde boy. At least, he would have if Mitch hadn't shifted and caught the other boy in a headlock.

"I told you! No hugs!"

"Typical." The portal closed behind a final figure, a girl with long, grey-green hair. "No matter what time you are in, the two of you act like utter children."

She twisted the tall lavender staff she carried, the garnet skull flashing in the light. Smoothing her long black trench coat with one hand, she lowered herself down onto one of the remaining ottomans.

"You might want to release the two you are holding, Lord Hades," observed the girl, looking over at the general of the underworld.

He nodded, lifting his hand. A smaller portal opened, dropping two children on the floor next to him.

The girl quickly regained her feet, before dashing over to Rini and Addie.

"Sophie!" The two ten-year old girls squealed, throwing their arms around the other blonde girl.

The navy-haired boy just shook his head and walked over to Mitch and Derek. "Let him go, Mitch. Might as well get this over with."

"Zane!" As soon as Mitch released him, Derek leapt up and embraced the bespectacled boy. "Now we're only missing…"

"Me."

J. J. strode through the same door Serena had used to enter the room. However, the look on his face kept Derek from running over to him.

"J. J., what happened?" Mitch demanded. "You don't normally act like this, Prince of Pranks."

"Thank you, Twig in the Mud," stated J. J.

The dark haired boy walked over and bowed to Darien and then to Serena, before bowing to Raye and Jason.

"Thank you, all of you, for being here. I'm going to try to explain, as best I can, what has happened. It goes back to the end of the Silver Millennium, and it is a tale I hoped never to tell."

He closed his eyes, before looking over at the as-of-yet unnamed girl with grey-green hair. "Sasha, I'm going to need your help for this. They need to see what happened."

Sasha nodded as rose to her feet, lifting her staff.

* * *

_Jedite and Rei stood before her grandfather, in the temple of Mars. Only he was here to witness the rite that would bind their souls for eternity._

"_Rei, you are my light, my fire, my eternal companion," spoke Jedite. "There is no one else who will ever hold my heart, fiery warrior princess. To prove it to you, my Dark Flame, I swear, as long as you live, so do I. I cannot live without you. You are my life, now and forever."_

_Tears filled Rei's eyes as she looked out from under the sheer white veil. "You are everything to me, Jedite. My phoenix, my love, my very heart. No one else will ever hold my heart, either. I, too, swear to you, as long as you live, so do I. You are my soul mate, for all eternity."_

"_Then, by the Sacred Flame, I pronounce you husband and wife." Rei's grandfather beamed as the newlyweds kissed. "Let not even Ares tear you apart."_

_

* * *

_

_"And do you, Prince Endymion, take Princess Serenity to be your lawfully wedded wife, till death do you part?" Helios inquired._

_Endymion and Serenity stood before the white-haired, child priest of Elysian. Endymion's black armor was polished until everything was reflected in it, while Serenity wore a pure white gown, reminiscent of her mother's, with a long veil covering her hair._

_The prince's midnight gaze met the bright blue of his princess. "Yes, I do."_

_"Princess Serenity, do you take Prince Endymion to be your lawfully wedded husband, till death do you part?"_

_"I do." Serenity's voice was barely louder than a whisper, but it still carried through the small temple._

_

* * *

_

_Ami smiled up into Zoicite's shimmering green eyes, through the long white veil she wore. "As long as you live, so do I."_

"_And as long as you live, so do I," echoed the blonde general, sliding the silver ring onto her left hand._

_

* * *

_

"_I, Nephrite, Gryphon General of Terra, swear this to you, Makoto, Princess of Jupiter, that I shall never fail you. You shine brighter than any star in the sky. You are my guiding light. As long as you live, so do I."_

_Makoto blinked back tears, as she tightened her grip on Nephrite's hands. "I am honored, Nephrite, to present myself to be your wife. You had my heart the moment you offered to help me cook. As long as you live, so do I."_

_

* * *

_

"_Minako, daughter of a golden goddess, princess of my heart, I offer you all that I am and hope that I am worthy of you. You have taught me how to laugh and how to live, when all I knew was the cold of duty. You are the very air I breathe. I am yours, in this and all lives. As long as you live, so do I."_

"_Oh, Malachite! However do I convince you that you are worthy? Shall it by my mission in life, now?" Minako laughed. "Not too long ago, I doubted the words my brother said to me, but now I know Eros was right. We belong together for all eternity. We are soul mates. And as such, I can say nothing else. As long as you live, so do I."_

_

* * *

_

_Sailor Pluto stood in the center of the ballroom._

_Ami knelt to embrace the blue-haired child, who cradled a sphinx made of ice and crystal. The child looked up at her, his blue eyes nervous._

"_My little Zane Zoicite, be brave. This will not be forever," whispered the blue-haired woman._

_Makoto held up a brave, cheerful face, which belied the tears shimmering in her green eyes. The two twins before her both held baskets full of food, mostly Makoto's own cooking._

"_Nicholas Nephrite, Anita Makoto, I want you both to be good for Sailor Pluto. And share the food I packed for you. Nothing is better than being able to share good food with your friends."_

_Minako swept into the room, trailing two solemn children behind her. One was a boy with golden hair who carried a small dagger in his hands, while the girl who walked beside him was tugging on the orange bow in her platinum hair._

_"Sailor Pluto, please take good care of them," pleaded the princess of Venus. "Look after my Mitchell Malachite and Amore Minako."_

_Sailor Pluto bowed her head. "You can count on me, Princess Minako."_

_The two Serenitys entered, with the lavender haired boy in his mother's arms._

_The green-haired scout of Time opened a portal before her as Princess Serenity set her son down. "Derek Endymion, listen to Puu. Promise me."_

"_I promise, Mama." The four year old nodded, before he hurried over to stand with the other children._

_"Wait!"_

_A dark haired figure dressed in red came running into the room. In her arms she carried a sleeping, dark-haired child._

_"Sailor Pluto, please, take him with you."_

_"Princess Rei."_

_The princess of Mars gently set the sleeping boy in the Outer Scout's arms._

_"Please, I need you to keep my son safe. Look after Jacob for me."_

_The children around Pluto stared up at the fiery princess who was fighting back tears. Sailor Pluto nodded, before ushering the six children at her feet through the portal._

_"The children shall be safe with me. I promise you all."_

_

* * *

_

_The seven children crowded into the small stone room in the castle of the underworld._

"_They will be safest here, General Hades," stated the tall, green-haired woman. "There is the only place where Beryl cannot reach them."_

_The tall man nodded, his crimson eyes narrowed. "I'm afraid we will have to trust Erebus to keep an eye on them, for now. With the chaos above, the darkness sealed here in the underworld is trying to break loose. Most of my energy is there, trying to force it back. Cerberus holds it for now, but he needs my help."_

"_I understand. I must hurry back to my queen and my princess. Hopefully I am not too late."_

_They both turned at a high-pitched shriek._

_Jacob stood before the fire that crackled behind a heavy screen in the fireplace. His face had gone pure white and tears poured down his cheeks. He shook his head back and forth._

"_No, Mama! Mama!"_

_Hades and Pluto hurried to him. The boy looked up with wide blue-violet eyes. "Beryl won. Mama and the others are gone."_

_He sank down and curled up into a ball._

_Pluto looked up. "I have to go. If Jacob is right…"_

_Hades nodded. "I am coming with you. I need to see this for myself."_

_

* * *

_

_Jedite crept along the wall, his eyes darting back and forth._

"_Welcome to the Negaverse, General Jedite. I've been expecting you to arrive for some time." Queen Beryl materialized in front of him. "I did set the perfect bait for a General of Terra, and with your recent troubles on the Moon, of course you would be the first to come."_

"_So, you're the great evil that's been taking hold," growled Jedite. "It will be my honor to defend my planet by killing you."_

_Two blasts of fire surrounded his hands, revealing twin swords made of pure steel. The hilts, made of gold and shaped to look like phoenixes, wrapped themselves around his hands. With a yell, he charged at Beryl, lifting his blades into the air._

"_Not so fast, General. You're going to serve me, now."_

_Dark energy swirled around the general, dropping him unconscious to the ground.__ When he awoke, __Jedite stood in chains before Beryl's throne. Before he could open his mouth, a dark crystal coffin was already descending from the ceiling, an exact clone of the general waiting inside._

"_Meet the vastly improved General Jedite of the Negaverse, the perfect bait to bring the rest of your companions here, where I may create better versions of them, as well," cackled Beryl. "Your prince won't stand a chance against these stronger versions of his own protectors."_

_

* * *

_

"_Malachite? Zoicite? Where are you?" Nephrite called out, looking around him. "What's going on here?"_

"_Welcome, General Nephrite, to the Negaverse." A familiar man with short blonde hair appeared before Nephrite. "I think you know who I am."_

"_Jedite. But what happened to you? You swore the same as I did. We are meant to serve our prince for always. This is treason."_

_Jedite smiled. "No, Nephrite. This is the truth. We belong by Beryl's side."_

"_No! I will never serve that witch! And neither would the real Jedite!"_

_

* * *

_

_Malachite opened his eyes. Before him stood a wide pool of water. Beryl walked over, so she stood directly between him and the pool._

"_Welcome back, Generals. I trust you're all awake now. You're going to watch as I take over the Moon Kingdom, destroying those pesky scouts of yours, using the clones I made of you. Then, when I come back, it will be your turn." She laughed, before disappearing._

_A groan came from Malachite's left. He turned, seeing Nephrite chained to the wall beside him, before glancing to his right, where an unusually quiet Jedite stared out at the pool._

"_She doesn't know that by killing the scouts, she kills us, as well," whispered Zoicite, looking up from where he hung, just beyond Nephrite. "Well, all of us except Jedite. We all swore, as long as our wives did, so do we."_

"_She'll kill me, too. Rei and I, we were married. Her grandfather performed the ceremony, and he was our only witness. We hoped, eventually, to let you all know," confessed the Phoenix General, tears glimmering in his eyes._

_All three of his fellow generals turned and did their best to stare at him._

"_And you didn't tell us?" Malachite demanded. "I thought you could trust us with anything!"_

_Jedite sighed. "I never knew who might be listening in. I had to leave without even telling Rei the real reason why. Ares told Queen Serenity, if I ever returned to Mars, or tried to contact Rei, he would declare war on Terra. It was the last thing we needed, with everything else that was going on. I felt it was better to just keep quiet and let things blow over."_

_Nephrite turned his head, staring down into the pool. "Looks like the battle has begun. We should be there, fighting alongside our prince."_

"_At least Hades is there, and our wives," whispered Zoicite._

_He watched his altered clone chase his wife across the battlefield. At least Ami knew it wasn't really him. No tears filled the eyes of the Mercurian Princess as she fought the abomination._

_Nephrite let the tears fall down his face as his beloved Makoto fought against his clone. She wouldn't last long, not with the way she was already favoring her left side. Something must have happened earlier to injure her._

_A wide smile crossed Malachite's face as Minako expertly wielded her sword and her chain. His clone was having a difficult time getting the upper hand against his goddess._

_Flames flew freely from Rei's hands, filling Jedite with a sense of pride. No clone could carry the power of the Sacred Flame. His clone had no defense against her connection to the Sacred Flame._

"_No!" Nephrite's voice rang out as his clone stretched out a hand, wrapping it around Makoto's neck. With very little effort, he snapped it._

_The other generals closed their eyes as the Gryphon General collapsed into a pile of dust._

_Rei turned, throwing flames at the Nephrite clone, determined to avenge her fallen friend. However, that was the opening Jedite's clone had been waiting for. As soon as her back was turned, he thrust his sword through her. A single tear fell from Jedite's eye as he burst into flames._

_Zoicite's clone smiled, twitching her hand. A shard of ice emerged from out of the ground, flying at the young woman. The bluenette had been so focused on deflecting an attack of flower petals, she wasn't aware of the second attack until it hit her._

"_My nymph," whispered Zoicite, dissolving into ice crystals._

_Malachite hung alone as he watched Minako fight off his clone. He let out a cheer as her sword took off the clone's head, even though he could see the pain it caused her._

"_Don't worry, my goddess. It wasn't really me. I'm still alive." He desperately wished there was some way to communicate with her._

_The other three clones turned at the death of their leader. Zoicite's clone seemed the most upset over it. Without warning, the remaining clones converged on Minako. However, Malachite's attention was caught by the second battle that was going on. He watched as Beryl made her offer to Endymion and he turned it down. He turned his head away as the evil queen killed both his prince and his princess, forcing his attention back to Minako._

_The blonde warrior pressed a hand to her heart when she felt the death of her princess, the same pain that echoed in Malachite at the death of his prince. The distraction of the princess's death allowed Zoicite's clone to grab the sword from Minako's hand and drive it through her heart._

_Malachite closed his eyes. "Mitchell, Amore, be well."_

_

* * *

_

_Sailor Saturn landed next to Queen Serenity, Erebus by her side._

"_I'm sorry to ask this of you," whispered the queen, barely clinging to life. "I've sent the others to a new life on Earth, in the future, and I've sealed away Metallia and Beryl. Now, Saturn, I must ask you to use your power, so that what I've done will mean something."_

_Sailor Saturn nodded and turned to Erebus._

"_I will help you, Sailor Saturn. What you will do will destroy all life, won't it?"_

_The scout bowed her head. "Yes. All life will be destroyed."_

"_Then I shall ensure that life may return to Earth. I can't allow it to return to all worlds. I don't have that kind of power," stated the youngest Terran general._

"_And neither do I," stated Sailor Saturn. "By activating my power to destroy everything, I will kill myself. I won't be able to return life to Earth."_

"_Then, together, we shall ensure Earth's survival."_

_The two youngest warriors faced each other, as Sailor Saturn raised her glaive and Erebus drew forth the obsidian dagger he carried. A blast of power shot out from the two younglings, enveloping all nine worlds._

_

* * *

_

"Several years passed. In the underworld, where the powers of Sailor Saturn and Erebus couldn't reach, the seven children survived, along with their new guardians, General Hades of the Underworld, and Sailor Pluto. Hades and Pluto trained the seven children, teaching them how to be warriors. Not all darkness had disappeared with the sealing of Queen Beryl. The seven of them had a mission. Keep the darkness from claiming the reborn Earth." J. J. stated, his voice filled with pain.

_

* * *

_

_A much older version of Mitch, dressed in an orange version of his father's uniform, fought against Caelus, former king of Uranus, and then against Eros, armed with a heavy broadsword._

_Orange wings flashed as an older version of Mora, dressed as Sailor Dragon, flew into the air against Aphrodite and Psyche._

_Hermes, armed with his caduceus rod, and Iris by his side, faced off against the blue uniformed Zane, who held a small computer in one hand, with a large sphinx made of ice and crystals behind him._

_Nick, dressed in a dark green version of Nephrite's uniform, with pale pink trim, leapt around Zeus and a confused Erebus, fighting without lifting any weapons other than his hands._

_Athena threw her javelin at the winged Sailor Gryphon, an older version of Nita, while Poseidon created tidal waves to take her down, but she easily turned their attacks against each other with a fluttering of her golden feathered wings._

_J. J. lifted his bow and fired a shot at Persephone, before turning to take on Ares with his bare hands, terror shining in his eyes even as he fought the powerful king._

_The queens, Gaia and Serenity, swept towards Derek, clad in a white version of Endymion's armor, who lifted up the Silver Crystal in his right hand, and the Golden Crystal in his right, using their power against his two grandmothers._

_

* * *

_

_The seven of them, now adults in their early twenties, stood in a large stone chamber. Seven platforms rose out of the floor, like stone beds._

"_It is time," stated Hades, walking out of the darkness towards them._

_Sailor Pluto walked in beside him. "We all knew this day would have to come. You have completed your mission. There is nothing left for the seven of you to do."_

"_We have to die now, don't we?" Nicholas asked, staring directly at Hades._

_The Terran General bowed his head, unable to meet their gazes._

"_Think of it like going to sleep," stated Jacob. "We just won't wake up for a really long time. And, we won't remember any of this when we do."_

_Zane grinned. "Like a dream. Parts of this will be there, won't they? We just won't be able to remember them when we're awake."_

"_Precisely." Sailor Pluto nodded. "Exactly as Jacob and Zane have said."_

_Derek sighed. "We'll have a new life. Do you think it will be better than this one?"_

"_Of course it will," declared Anita, always an optimist._

_Slowly, one by one, the seven nodded._

"_We are ready," stated Derek. "As prince, I shall go first. For Lunar Earth."_

_He walked over to the stone platform under a rose covered crescent moon._

"_Sleep well, your highness," whispered Sailor Pluto._

_Hades nodded. "You have done well, Derek Endymion Lunarae Terran."_

_Derek laid down upon the stone and closed his eyes, as white marble rose to cover him._

_Nicholas gulped nervously, but Mitchell stepped forward. "I'll go next."_

_The orange clad boy walked over and laid upon the stone slab to the prince's left._

_Sailor Pluto placed a hand on his forehead. "Good luck in the future, Mitchell Malachite Eros."_

"_And to you as well, Amore Minako Aphrodite," intoned Hades, as the platinum haired girl placed herself on the platform beside her twin brother._

_Zane took a deep breath, before claiming the next platform, beside Amore._

"_Let wisdom guide you, Zane Zoicite Hermes," was the final comment from Sailor Pluto to the young genius._

_Nicholas nodded as he and Anita climbed onto their new beds._

"_Mother and Father will be there, in our next life, won't they?" Anita asked, worry in her voice for the first time._

_Sailor Pluto smiled. "Yes. They will be there. Sleep well, Nicholas Nephrite Zeus."_

"_And you as well, Anita Makoto Athena." Hades gave a slight grin, before turning to Jacob._

_The dark haired boy shook his head. "I won't sleep like the others do. I will guard the tomb. Someone has to. Hades, you have the underworld to protect, and Sailor Pluto must watch the Time Gate. I won't be able to physically defend it. I know that. But, if someone does come, I'll be able to call to those who can fix things. I promise."_

"_Jacob, are you sure you can't tell us anything else about yourself?" Hades asked. "Anything at all we could do to help you?"_

"_No. I'll be fine. I know what I'm doing," he stated, a smirk crossing his face. "I know I won't be reborn, the same way the others are. Eventually, I will join up with my future self. He'll still exist. I'll just be like a ghost, a memory. He won't remember until we are one."_

_The green haired scout sighed. "If that is how you want it."_

"_It is." Jacob laid himself down upon the slab, marble rising over him before either of the older warriors could move to touch him._

_* * *_

"Just a few days ago, Hope, J. J. and I went to the Tomb of the Last Guard, as the seven of them were known," explained Sasha. "Jacob emerged from his stone coffin and merged with J. J."

Hope nodded in confirmation.

J. J. lifted his gaze, meeting that of every single scout and knight present. "What the Last Guard did is take the souls of fourteen people and seal them away, to keep this world safe. Thirteen of those souls were souls of kindness and light, that we hoped would never be tainted by darkness, and sealed so they could advise and aid us in the future. Eventually, when we were reborn, and we remembered, we would go to the Tomb and retrieve them. The fourteenth soul, Ares' soul, was to be bound forever, so it couldn't return to this world. I didn't want anyone to have to live through his cruelty again."

Raye rose from her seat and walked over to wrap an arm around J. J.'s shoulders.

"What you saw, as the Tomb of the Last Guard, in 30th Century Crystal Tokyo, has another name. It is also known as the Vault of Souls, because of the souls trapped in crystals," he continued. "Somehow, Adonis, who should be dead, has returned and unleashed the souls. He has fed on the darkness they created, the power they obtained for him, and now, we will have to destroy him."

"He was supposed to have been the fifteenth soul we sealed away," whispered Derek, looking at the floor. "I remember now. You said our mission was finished, but we never found Adonis' soul. It had vanished."

Nick, Nita, Mitch, and Mora nodded.

"We never knew what happened to it. Now, we do," muttered Zane.

"The fourteen of us are all what is known as the Crystal Guard, as all of you are known as the Sailor Scouts and the Tuxedo Knights. Our group just goes by one name," explained Grace. "Technically it's broken up into three sections, the Terran Scouts, the Neo-Outers, and the Planetary Knights, but we're all the Crystal Guard."

The seven of them who were once the Last Guard rose to their feet, standing in a circle.

Derek took a deep breath. "This time, we finish our mission. The seven of us aren't alone this time. We have more help than we could have imagined."

"Wait a minute," ordered Serena, looking directly into Derek's eyes. "You're telling me that the fourteen of you are our kids?"

Lita stared at them. "But you're all from the 30th Century!"

"It's sort of complicated," stated Mora. "We don't even understand it all."

Zane nodded. "I won't even be allowed to look at the technical workup of the situation for at least another three years, provided everything stays on track."

"So, why don't you all properly introduce yourselves again?" Amara demanded, looking at Grace.

"Alright. We might as well," groaned Derek. "My full name is Derek Endymion Lunarae Terran Tsukino Shields, prince of Crystal Tokyo, and official head of the Crystal Guard."

"And mine is Small Lady Serenity Lunarae Terran Tsukino Shields. A real mouthful, so I'd rather just stay with Rini. Oh, and I'm the princess of Crystal Tokyo."

"Mitchell Malachite Eros Aino Stone, Venusian Knight, formerly known as V Knight, Planetary Knight."

"Amore Minako Aphrodite Aino Stone, Sailor Dragon, once known as Sailor D, head of the Terran Scouts."

"Adeline Rei Psyche Aino Stone, Sailor Mini Venus, Neo-Inner, so I don't really fit into one of the groups."

"Nicholas Nephrite Zeus Kino Stone, Jovian Knight, Planetary Knight."

"Anita Makoto Athena Kino Stone, Sailor Gryphon, Terran Scout."

"Mercurian Knight, Zane Zoicite Hermes Mizuno Stone, Planetary Knight."

"Sailor Sphinx, Sophie Ami Iris Mizuno Stone, Terran Scout."

"Jacob Jedite Ares Hino Specter, Martian Knight, Head of the Planetary Knights, and chief of Derek's bodyguards, whether anyone likes it or not."

The dark haired boy shot a glare at the lavender haired prince, who proceeded to stick his tongue out at his friend.

"Grace Haruka Kaze Kaioh Tenoh, Neo-Sailor Uranus, Leader of the Neo-Outers."

"Jordan Michiru Ariel Tenoh Kaioh, Neo-Sailor Neptune, Neo-Outer."

"And before you ask, we don't know how it is that we exist," the twin Neo-outer scouts stated. "We just do!"

Hope stepped forward, looking up and speaking in a voice barely above a whisper. "Hope Hotaru Nyx Tomoe Miller, Neo-Sailor Saturn, Neo-Outer."

"And, finally, I am Sasha Setsuna Persephone Meioh Miller, Sailor Cerberus, formerly Neo-Sailor Pluto. I used to be a Neo-Outer, but I guess I'm a Terran Scout, now," concluded the girl with the long grey-green hair. "I think you can figure out our parents from that."

* * *

Okay, I know, really long chapter! I didn't think it would get this long, and I know, the double introductions are probably a little annoying. Sorry! It just came out this way.

I put the weddings in here in the order they actually occurred in, in this story. Rei and Jedite were married before Serenity and Endymion! Also, if you've read Hearts of Le Lune, there's a couple of little clips in here from that too!

No, I'm not going to get into anything with the three others I introduced earlier. Carter, Hayden, and Jenna are just going to drop out. I'll get back to them later, when I don't have so many characters running around. I think there really may be one more part to this little AU universe, that will include the three of them and introducing them to their parents, but not just yet. I didn't expect to get this one done so soon, either.

Thank you to the three of you who reviewed "Phoenix and Fire" right away! Three reviews on a chapter is the best I've ever gotten, and I haven't gotten that since "And Change Again," which was chapter 2! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

So, questions, comments, guesses as to what's going to happen? Click the little review button, please!

No, I hadn't forgotten about Vault of Souls! I just couldn't figure out the best way to write "Phoenix and Fire," and the plot for Hearts of Le Lune was really bugging me. I wanted to figure out exactly why Serena was so mad at Darien.

I do have a few more chapters plotted out for Hearts of Le Lune, but they aren't next in the plot line! They're sort of like two or three chapters ahead of where I just finished!


	16. Preparations and Confrontations

**Disclaimer:** I do NOT own Sailor Moon or any of the canon characters. Derek, Drake, and the others are merely figments that have escaped from my imagination.

**Author's Note: **Alright, this chapter is pretty much just little sections between the kids from the future and their parents, more a filler chapter, really, before the big battle.

Chapter Sixteen: Preparations and Confrontations

"So, where exactly is Adonis hiding, so we can go get him?" Serena demanded, leaping to her feet. "The sooner we get rid of that creep, the better."

Lita looked over at the princess. "I think a better question is why. Why did he come back? What does he want?"

"I know what he wants," whispered Mina. "He wants the same thing he's always wanted. He wants me."

The brunette scout placed a hand on her friend's shoulder. Amy rose and walked over to kneel before the leader of the Inner Scouts, as Raye followed behind her. Serena walked over to kneel between Amy and Raye, locking gazes with her almost twin.

"Mina, we need to know everything you can tell us about Adonis, and how we can stop him." Darien stated, walking over to stand behind her. "You know him better than any of us."

Addie ran over, pushing her way past Amy to curl up beside Mina. "We'll help too. You don't have to be alone."

"What's up, Mitch?" Derek asked.

The blonde boy had tilted his head, as if listening to someone, his orange crystal held in his hands. "Eros says he can lead us to Adonis, when we're ready. After all, Adonis did try to use him against us. He has a score to settle with the former captain of the guard."

"Then, all we need is what Mina can tell us." Amara shrugged.

"What's there to know?" Mal demanded. "The guy was a pompous, chauvinistic, idiotic jerk. He didn't believe women should be allowed to fight. Every chance he got, he tried to convince Minako that she didn't belong as a warrior. That, and she belonged with him more than she belonged with me."

Mina looked up at him. "You do remember, don't you?"

"For a while, now. More than the others have, that's for certain. Then again, you and I would. It is our duty to protect our leaders. I was born to protect Endymion's reincarnation, and you to protect Serenity's."

"And yet you currently protect Serena, not Darien," observed Andrew.

Mal glared at him. "It's complicated."

"Mal is right, though. That's about all I can remember about Adonis, too. Other than the fact that his name was Ace Kaitou in this life." The blonde scout of Venus looked down at her hands.

Amara whirled to look at her. "Ace Kaitou? No way. He moved to London."

"I used to live in London," came the reply.

Serena looked over at her cousin. "It's him, again. Why can't he just leave us alone? In the Silver Millennium, he was after Mina. In this life, he terrorized me and Zack, when we were little. I quit school because of him!"

Amy's eyes widened. "You went to the same elementary school I did, didn't you?"

"Lexiconic?" Zack demanded. At his girlfriend's nod, he continued, "Mal and I went there, too, and so did Amara, before we moved. It wasn't long after Serena changed schools that we got pulled and moved to San Francisco."

His brother nodded. "Mom felt it was best to move away from Tokyo."

"But this doesn't help us get ready to face Adonis," growled Jordan, leaping up. "I don't want to just sit around doing nothing."

J. J. nodded. "I'd better go meditate. I suggest everyone else does what they need to do to prepare."

* * *

"I've pulled all the information that the Moon Computers had on Adonis. There wasn't a whole lot that survived the end of the Silver Millennium," remarked Amy, sitting down at the kitchen table in the apartment she shared with her mother.

Zack nodded. "There wasn't much I'd been able to log away in T.E.D.S. either."

"What's T.E.D.S.?" Sophie demanded, looking back and forth between her parents. "I've never heard of it."

"The Terran Electronical Defense System. You and I know it better as S.M.I.," replied her brother. "Sphinx Mercury Intelligence."

Amy and Zack both grinned. "Who came up with that name?"

Zane shrugged. "One of the two of you, I think. I only remember it being T.E.D.S. because I used it at the end of the Silver Millennium. My crystal and ice sphinx knew about it. His name was Spy, actually."

"Is there anything in the S.M.I. that can help us?" The blue haired scout lifted one eyebrow.

Her future son grinned, pulling out a modified laptop and opening it. "Only one way to find out!"

* * *

Nate stood out on the balcony of his room, looking up at the shimmering stars. He prayed they held some answers for them.

"Mind if I join you?" Nita dropped down off the roof, landing gracefully beside her future father. "You've got a really good view, here. Just like the balcony in Crystal Tokyo."

"Do you stargaze often?" Nate looked down at her.

She shrugged. "Usually. You teach me, actually. Nick does, too, but it's not really his thing. He can't hear as well as we can. I think it has to do with having the power of the Gryphon. He only has a little bit of it. He's too much the Prince of Jupiter."

The teenage girl lowered herself to sit on the ground, wrapping her arms around her knees and looking up to the stars.

* * *

A whisk spun furiously in a bowl as Lita paced her kitchen.

"What are you making?" Nick leaned against the doorframe.

She offered a slight smile. "I was going to try to make cookies, but they don't want to turn out."

"Cooking helps you relax, doesn't it?" The boy from the future strolled over to the counter, examining the ingredients. "I know it helps me. Nita cooks, too, but she'd rather gaze at the stars. Though, when we work on it, we make a mean Triple Threat Cheesecake. Three types of chocolate, plus some caramel and butterscotch, and a graham cracker crust to die for."

"Sounds amazing. When we defeat Adonis, think the two of you might whip one up before you leave?" Lita shifted her mixing bowl.

Nick nodded. "I'm sure we could try. Why don't I help you with these cookies?"

* * *

Raye smiled at her grandfather as she knelt next to him, beside the Sacred Fire. The small man nodded back, before returning his attention to the flames.

"I'm thinking I'm going to give Jason a chance. We didn't get much of one, last time. If he's right, and we are soul mates, I don't want to lose him because I was too stubborn to try."

"That seems very wise of you, Raye," replied her grandfather. "At least Ares won't be standing in your way, this time."

"No, but my father still won't approve of him. Jason is a prankster, a devotee of the same religion as me, hardly the son-in-law he would prefer. Unless he's hiding something from me."

Grandpa smiled. "I think Jason may yet surprise you."

* * *

"You're not going to meditate before the Sacred Fire?" Astonishment filled J. J.'s voice.

Jason looked up from the thick textbook laid out in front of him. "I want to finish my homework, first. I know, surprising. I'm not one for it, but it's been bugging me all day."

"You're really going to go through with it." It wasn't a question, but rather a statement.

"I'm a lawyer by the time Crystal Tokyo arrives, aren't I?" The blonde man looked down at his future son. "You can tell me."

The boy shrugged. "You were. Once Crystal Tokyo arrives, you mostly gave it up, just like everyone else basically gave up their lives, too. You are the Royal Legal Advisor, though, as well as one of the resident spiritual experts. Mostly, though, that's Mom's job."

"And you said you were going to meditate."

Two balls of fire emerged before J. J., spinning around each other, the way they had when he confronted Ares. The two spheres converged into a larger one. It hovered before the boy, who stared into it.

"I'm a student of two flames, so I tend to meditate before both of them. I can meditate pretty much anywhere, because I carry part of both flames with me," he explained. "My connection to the Flame of Mars just wasn't very strong until I got back my power from Grandpa."

Jason nodded, hurrying to finish the packet of worksheets he had pulled out.

* * *

Mina, transformed into Sailor Venus, flung her Love-Me-Chain at several targets, slicing each of them easily.

"Practicing, Mama?" Addie perched on a bench, not too far away. "Can I give it a try?"

The Inner Scout nodded.

Addie leapt down, pulling out her small orange crystal. "Mini Venus Power!"

The pale scout smiled as she spun around, pulling out her own weapon. "Mini Love-Me Chain Encircle!"

The pale orange whip of light flew through the dummies made to resemble youma, cutting all of them in half.

Mina smiled. "Not bad. Not bad at all."

"You taught me. You said I had to be brave, if I wanted to be a true Sailor Scout, and you also said I always had to follow my heart. Duty shouldn't make you forsake everything else." There was a hint of wisdom in the ten-year-old's eyes as she looked at her mother.

* * *

Mal had retreated to his room, a place almost devoid of color. Reaching under his bed, he pulled out a long metal case. He flipped open the lid, revealing a large sword, made entirely of stone.

"Mother's Moon Stone Sword," whispered Mora, pausing in the doorway, Mitch beside her.

The twins seemed to hold the sword with some sort of reverence.

Mal nodded. "At the end of the Silver Millennium, she asked me to take it with her, to use it to fight the darkness and protect the two of you. I refused to take it, but she somehow slipped it in with my belongings when I left. I doubt Beryl even knew I had it. It was returned to me when I remembered everything in this life."

"So, are you going to give it back to her?" Mora asked, sinking down onto the bed beside the case. "I have a feeling she's going to need it."

"You already know that I am, don't you?" The tall man looked down at the girl who shared his platinum colored hair.

Mitch shrugged as he walked over to his sister. "We can't tell you much about the future. We don't want to change it."

"So, how did the three of you continue to exist when I disappeared? If I died, you three shouldn't have been able to exist, correct?"

"We don't know. We can only guess that Sasha had something to do with it. I know she's how J. J. was brought back. She's his soul mate, but they won't do anything about it. They are only fourteen," explained the blonde boy.

His twin nodded. "It's possible that Hope could have helped, too."

* * *

Amara ran around the oval track that had been installed in the mansion's large back yard. She blinked sweat out of her eyes as she glanced at the pool that occupied the grassy area inside the track.

Occasionally, a flash of aquamarine hair could be seen as Jordan bobbed up for air, and to slap the pool wall again, before setting off on another lap. The younger girl kept herself focused on each stroke through the water.

Seated away from them both, Michelle looked up from her mirror. "Jordan's really a lot like Amara."

"To tell you the truth, we really do know how we exist," confessed Grace, staring at the ground. "Serena allowed it. She used the Silver Crystal and took your DNA, as well as Amara's. The two mixed and separated into us. We're not exactly equal parts both of you, but it's fairly close. Jordan looks and acts more like Amara, but she's got the powers of Neptune. I'm the opposite."

"And you actually call us by our names?" Michelle asked, looking curious.

The dark blonde shook her head. "We use the same names that Hotaru used for a while. You're Mama, and Amara is Papa, even though she technically isn't. But, she's the closest thing we have, so the name fits."

The aquamarine haired woman nodded and placed a reassuring hand on her future daughter's shoulder.

* * *

Aaron leapt around the dark room, commanding the shadows into warriors for him to fight. The obsidian dagger in his hand shifted into different weapons as he fought.

Nearby, Hotaru leaned back against the wall, staring up at the ceiling, as if the tiles held the answers to her questions. She turned at the soft footsteps entering the room. Aaron also stopped his practicing to look at the new arrival.

The frail, small girl bowed her head as she entered. Naturally shy, Hope looked nervously up at the two young warriors.

"Why don't you come and join us, Hope?" Aaron asked. "You are our future daughter, aren't you?"

Hope nodded, silently.

"It's alright. So, Aaron and me?" Hotaru smiled.

"Yes. It just takes a little longer before you two actually get together. You always say it's because you were only fourteen when you met. Papa does say you'll always be his firefly, though."

Aaron dropped down to sit beside Hotaru, patting the ground until Hope took a seat with them. "You don't talk much, but when you do, you're very quiet."

"It's hard. Not many people want to listen to me. I'm only ten."

"Being the youngest is difficult," stated Hotaru. "We understand that. You're a long way from home and the parents you know, though. It's very brave of you to come."

* * *

Sailor Pluto walked up to the Time Gate, Tuxedo Cerberus at her side.

"Are you sure you can seal the gate?" Tuxedo Cerberus asked, looking sideways at the scout.

She nodded. "I should be able to. And then I'll unseal it to let the others go back to the future. I've done it before, if you'll recall. At the end of the Silver Millennium, after Beryl's defeat, and the others were sent to the future. I didn't want anyone coming back and ruining everything before we could even get started. We can see what happened during the years immediately following the battle, but we can't travel back to then."

"That's right. You sealed away that time. Now, you'll seal away the time that Adonis is loose on Earth."

"Yes. If he survived before by leaping to the future, which I believe he did, then he won't be able to do so, now." The green haired scout lifted her staff, using its power to close the tall gates.

* * *

Sasha ducked under a weeping willow at the far end of the mansion's yard, pulling out a small device. She pushed several small buttons, and a small screen emerged, revealing three eager faces.

"Any news, Sasha?" Jenna demanded, practically jumping up and down.

The older girl grinned. "We plan to go face Adonis soon. We're almost ready. Anything you have that could help would be appreciated."

"We don't have much," remarked Carter, looking nervously towards Hayden.

The older boy sighed. "We know how Adonis survived when Mina should have killed him, back when she was Sailor V. He had managed to obtain a Time Crystal, the ones that are usually set into Time Keys that Sailor Pluto protects. He used it to leap into the time stream and give himself time to heal, before returning to destroy Malachite. Killing Jedite was all Ares. I'm guessing that J. J. managed to seal Ares before he could kill Jedite. The Phoenix General has already returned to Crystal Tokyo, and it's a bit more stable, now. It all rests on being able to save Malachite from Adonis."

Carter nodded. "Jenna and I are both going to get back to training, now. We can all take turns holding everything stable, for now. We don't have to sit by the Time Gate and hold it steady."

Once the two ten-year-olds had left, Hayden turned back to look at the screen. "Something else happened. My powers changed. One minute I'm looking at a garnet skull, and the next it's gone. Thankfully Carter and Jenna weren't there when it happened."

"I no longer have the powers of Pluto, Hayden. I'm now Sailor Cerberus. I'm sorry. I didn't have any other choice," whispered Sasha. "Big brother, if you want them back, I'm sure we could figure out how to do it."

He put up a hand to stop her. "If I wanted to stay a Neo-Tuxedo Knight, which I didn't, by the way, I'd jump at the offer. I'm fine with becoming a Planetary Knight. I just wish I'd had a little warning, that's all. Good luck, little sister. I have a feeling you're going to need it. And, becoming the Plutonian Knight, well, it just makes my job a little easier."

Sasha frowned. "What worries me is the fact that the Negamoon has vanished, completely. If only we could have gotten the Outers back before the attack, then they would have already been destroyed, and I wouldn't have to worry about them."

"Don't worry about the Negamoon. Just focus on getting Adonis. He's your problem, right now," returned her older brother. "The Negamoon can wait until you get back. We will find them, I promise. Adonis is the more pressing threat at the moment."

* * *

From his lair, Adonis glared down at the Earth.

"Hiding in the remains of the Moon Kingdom was a brilliant move on your part, Adonis. I applaud you."

The copper haired man turned to see a figure dressed entirely in white approach him. The prince of the Negamoon strolled over, his cape billowing behind him.

Adonis sneered. "They will be coming, soon. Eros, the great fool that he is, will lead them here. We'll be ready to destroy them."

"Remember, Adonis. You get your little princess from Venus, but the future Neo-Queen Serenity is all mine." Prince Diamond looked past the former captain of the royal guard. "That was our agreement when we gave you a second chance at life."

Emerald and Sapphire walked up behind the white clad prince, with the Wise Man drifting along behind them.

"Don't worry. With our Dark Crystal, the scouts and knights will be no match for us, even with their reinforcements from the future," the Wise Man assured them.

A smirk crossed the face of Adonis. _Just think, when I have what I want, I won't need them around anymore. That worthless Prince Diamond will be the first to go. I will enjoy seeing the smirk fade off his face when Serenity dies in front of him. He won't be getting his end of the bargain. I don't need him, not really. I've gotten all I need._

* * *

Okay, I said I was pretty much going to ignore Carter, Jenna, and Hayden for a while, but I felt Sasha really needed the little pep talk from Hayden, and the other two would have been waiting, too. So, I think it's pretty obvious who Hayden is, now isn't it? This wasn't my favorite chapter to write, but hey, the action is coming! Soon, the battle against Adonis, and the Negamoon! Who saw that one coming?


	17. Silver and Gold, Lunar and Terran

**Disclaimer:** I do NOT own Sailor Moon or any of the canon characters. Derek, Drake, and the others are merely figments that have escaped from my imagination.

**Author's Note: **This is set during the Sailor Moon R break-up, when Darien is having the nightmares and breaks up with Serena. However, I have decided to make Rini a little older. She's now about ten years old, instead of four, just because of the plot line. Also, the other scouts are older, as everyone is now in high school except Hotaru. But, hey, this is AU. Also, when I refer to the five divisions of Terra, I refer to them by their direction from Elysian, thus North and South America, being to the East of Elysian, are the Eastern Division, Africa and the Middle East are the Western Division. Europe, Russia, Greenland, and Iceland are all the Northern Division, while Australia, Antarctica, and the Pacific Islands are the Southern Division. The rest of Asia would be Elysian. Galaxis High School is my creation, here. Its sort-of replacing the school Hotaru, Michelle, and Amara attended during the Heartsnatchers episodes, but since that isn't happening, I gave them a new school. (Too I can't remember the name!) This would be the school that Serena, Jason, Zack, Amara, and Michelle are attending.

Chapter Seventeen: Silver and Gold, Lunar and Terran

The courtyard at Cherry Hill Temple was rather crowded as everyone gathered under the setting sun. The Inner Scouts, with the exception of Raye, found themselves surprised to be among the last to arrive. Serena stood, surrounded by the Outer Scouts and her Tuxedo Knights, watching the sky for the rising of the moon. Only a few feet away from them, Rini chattered with Sophie and Addie. Jordan, Grace, Nita, and Mora talked strategies with the Planetary Knights. Hope hid behind Sasha, who fiddled with her garnet skull necklace. Only Darien, Derek, and Aaron had yet to arrive by the time Mina, Lita, and Amy walked up the last steps, and they were only a few minutes behind the three girls.

"Eros says that Adonis is hiding the ruins of the Moon Kingdom. Probably because we'd never think to look for him there," stated Mitch, pulling his crystal back out of his pocket. "Are we all ready to go?"

Serena nodded. "Just as soon as we all transform."

There was a loud clamor of voices as transformations were spoken, followed by multiple flashes of light as signaled the changes in appearances.

A large circle was formed by the warriors, hands linked.

"Mercury Power!"

"Venus Power!"

"Mars Power!"

"Jupiter Power!"

"Saturn Power!"

"Uranus Power!"

"Neptune Power!"

"Pluto Power!"

"Royal Crystal Power!"

"SAILOR TELEPORT!"

With the power of the nine Sailor Scouts, the group blasted off the ground, flying towards the moon.

* * *

"They are coming, Wiseman," declared Prince Diamond, staring into the holographic projector. "All of them, including all those brats from the future."

The Wiseman laughed, eerily. "They will not make it here, together. Not with the power of the Dark Crystal at my command."

A burst of energy shot out of the Dark Crystal, flying straight at the teleporting warriors. The collision shattered the connection between them all, sending them all in different directions on the surface of the moon.

* * *

Sophie groaned, struggling to push herself up off the cold ground. Blonde hair tumbled out of her ponytail and fell into her emerald green eyes. She turned her head, scanning the area around her, noting that she was still transformed as Sailor Sphinx.

"Sophie, are you alright?" Her brother's voice came from a few feet behind her.

The young girl slowly sat up and turned to face him. "I'm alright, Zane. Is everyone else alright? I didn't think teleporting would be like this."

"I haven't seen anyone else. I'm starting a scan of the surrounding area now."

The dark blue haired boy pulled out his small computer and pressed several buttons.

"I have a lock on Mom and Dad, or rather, Sailor Mercury and Tuxedo Sphinx. They aren't Mom and Dad yet," he stated. "I'm also getting a read on two other signatures, but they aren't clear enough for me to tell who."

Tears filled Sophie's eyes. "What about everyone else? And what was that that hit us?"

"I don't know."

Zane held out his hand and helped his sister to her feet, before following the coordinates on his computer, towards their future parents.

* * *

A slight sniffling noise woke Hotaru. Opening her dark violet eyes, she saw a small figure, dressed in purple, white, and black, huddled next to an entirely black, motionless body.

"Hope? Is that you?" The sailor scout of destruction and rebirth slowly rose to her feet and walked over to them.

Eyes darker than her own looked up at her. "You're alive. Is…is Papa?"

Hotaru bent down and placed a hand gently on Aaron's shoulder. The youngest Terran General moaned and shifted. His head lifted off the ground, his face paler than normal.

"What happened?" Aaron demanded, tightening his grip on the obsidian dagger he held. "What was that dark energy that hit us?"

"I don't know," stated Hotaru. "I've never felt anything like it."

Hope looked over to the horizon, her gaze distant. "That was the power of the Negamoon. Now we know who helped Adonis."

* * *

Drake rolled to a stop at the bottom of a pillar, his crimson eyes narrowed. "Well, that was unexpected."

"He probably saw us coming," replied Trista, pulling herself to her feet.

Nearby, Sasha had actually managed to land on her feet, her skull-topped staff gripped in both hands. "That wasn't Adonis. I guess now I know where the Negamoon disappeared to. They were helping Adonis. I suppose it makes sense. They were able to follow Rini back to this time. They had to have access to the Time Gate somehow."

She closed her eyes, focusing on a connection she rarely used, or even acknowledged. _J. J., can you hear me?_

_Loud and clear, Sasha. You alright? _The boy's voice echoed inside her head.

She nodded, before remembering he couldn't see her. _I'm fine. Looks like the Negamoon was helping Adonis._

_Gee, you think? I just thought he found a shard of the Dark Crystal. _Sarcasm dripped from his mental voice. _I can sense my parents, as well as you and yours. We aren't that far from you. Just head towards your right. I think. I can't tell, really._

_That's really helpful. Not! Okay, do you see the remnants of the Fountain Courtyard?_

_Yeah._

_Meet us there. That work for you, Flame Boy?_

_Absolutely, Sasha, absolutely. And I thought you quit calling me Flame Boy!_

A laugh escaped Sasha as she turned back to her future parents.

"J. J. is going to get Raye and Jason and meet us in the Fountain Courtyard. None of us are that far from it," she stated, tapping a finger to her forehead. "We can talk telepathically, when we need to."

Trista nodded. "I suppose you do it fairly frequently."

"Not really. We tend to forget it even exists, for the most part."

"This isn't the time to get into this, Sets," commented Drake, walking over to them. "We'd better get a move on and join up with the others. I have a bad feeling about this."

"And if you have a bad feeling, we should listen to it," sighed the sailor scout of time.

A few minutes later, they stood beside what was left of a column fountain, looking at the remains of a pool.

"It's hard to believe how beautiful this used to be," remarked Raye, sadly, as she joined them.

Jason nodded. "I remember. It was magnificent whenever we came here for the balls. But nothing here was as beautiful as you, Dark Flame."

A faint blush covered Raye's face, as she looked away from him.

J. J. sighed, crossing his arms. "So, now what? I can't sense any of the others. I have a feeling it's because of the Dark Crystal."

"You won't need to worry about the others. You should be more worried about yourselves," stated a cold voice.

The six of them whirled to face a man walking down to them, his white cape billowing. Pure white hair fell into his eyes, and his pure white outfit almost seemed to glow in the darkness that covered the moon.

"Prince Diamond of the Negamoon," whispered Sasha.

J. J. nodded. "This isn't good."

* * *

Michelle hurried towards the sound of a falling pillar, only to find Jordan standing beside it, one fist out in front of her.

"I take it you're frustrated," stated the older girl.

Her future daughter looked back over her shoulder at her, in an annoyed look that was purely Amara. "I can't find Grace. We're twins. We've always had this connection and this ability to find each other, and now I can't feel anything. I know she's not dead, but that's all. I just hope she's alright. She may be the leader of the Neo-Outers, but she's not as strong as I am."

"I'm sure she's with Amara. The two of them will be alright," she reassured Jordan. "Come on, let's start walking. We're bound to run into someone, sooner or later."

"Perhaps sooner than you'd like, Sailor Neptune."

The two aquamarine haired scouts turned to see a man dressed in a blue suit, with dark blue hair.

"Allow me to introduce myself. I am Sapphire, younger brother to Prince Diamond, who will soon be the King of your world, when he marries the Princess of the Moon."

Jordan snorted. "As if! Serenity will marry Endymion. That's how it goes. Not Serenity and Diamond. What a ridiculous name for a guy, anyway."

Michelle couldn't help but smile at the younger girl's comment.

"You've got that right, Sailor Neo-Neptune," called out Sophie, sliding down the side of the rocky depression, Zane right behind her.

Amy and Zack, both a little worse for wear, came running up right behind them.

Together, the seven of them slipped into a battle-ready stance, as Sapphire began moving towards them.

* * *

Nita bit back a scream as she straightened her left foot. Her twin brother knelt beside her, carefully pulling off the green boot.

"Just great! You twisted it. There's no way you're going to be able to fight on that foot. It'll take at least two hours before it heals," he declared. "Any brilliant ideas, sis?"

She bent forward and pulled her boot back on. "I just won't walk on it. I do have wings, you know."

Nick rolled his eyes, before helping her up. He stood, letting her lean on him until her wings began fluttering, lifting her slightly off the ground.

"Nita! Nick! You two are alright!" Lita came running towards them, her ponytail bobbing up and down.

The sound of rocks being crushed underfoot preceded the arrival of Nate. The green-masked warrior looked nervously over his shoulder.

"What do you two know about facing giant green dragons?" He looked at the two future children.

Nita flew higher into the air, looking back the way Nate had come, to see the monster that had been tailing him.

"Great, just what we needed! He's right, it's a giant green dragon," she declared. "So, Nick, any of General Stick-in-the-Mud's lessons going to come in handy here?"

"General Stick-in-the-Mud?" Lita asked, lifting one eyebrow.

"It's an old nickname," stated Nate, with a grin. "I recognize it. Malachite, isn't it?"

Nick nodded. "Yep. We're still calling him that. Especially after Jason let it slip, a long time ago."

The dragon drew closer, preparing to attack, as they stood, talking.

"Dark Glaive of Silence!" Hope's voice echoed across the open area, as she jumped up, attacking the creature.

"You dare! I am Emerald, and I will not stand for this," the creature shrieked. "I will destroy you all, for the sake of my precious Prince Diamond!"

Hotaru and Aaron came running up behind their future daughter as the dragon once known as Emerald prepared to attack.

* * *

Adonis grinned as he looked down at those assembled before him. "Hello, my dear Minako. I've missed seeing your face. Just let me get rid of your companions, so we can get reacquainted."

The sailor scout of love was trapped, her foot caught under a large rock. Even with her extra strength as a sailor scout, she couldn't budge the stone. Her blue eyes widened as she saw Mal and Mitch jumping away from Adonis' attack.

"No! Leave them alone!" Mina screamed.

Mora leapt up into the air, letting her dragon wings carry her away from the others. "Come on, just give me one good shot."

"Mini Venus Love and Beauty Shock!" Addie shouted, pressing a kiss to her fingertips and letting the attack fly.

A flip of his wrist allowed Adonis to block the attack, much to the astonishment of the future warriors.

"Fine, take this!" Grace declared. "Breezing Deep Shaking!"

A blast of yellow energy shot from her hands at the bleached blonde haired man, who easily leapt out of its path.

Mal frowned. _If only we could get Adonis to hold still long enough for our attacks to work. We need to get him to focus on one of us, and only one of us._

A light glimmered in his eyes as realization dawned on him. _I'm the one Adonis wants. He wants me dead more than anything else. Now, to use that to my advantage._

The silver-haired Tuxedo Knight grinned. "Still as pathetic as ever, Adonis. You're not worthy of Minako. You never were. I'm surprised you even made it to become a member of the Royal Guard!"

His taunts caused the other man to narrow his copper eyes. Ignoring the others, Adonis charged at Mal, raising the sword he had drawn.

Amara hurried over to Mina, helping her shove at the rock until her foot slid free. The two scouts looked up as Mal drew a sword to fight Adonis. However, it was not his broadsword that he found in his hand. The dragon-hilt he had become so familiar with in the Silver Millennium wasn't there. Instead, it was Minako's Moon Stone Sword that met the blade of Adonis.

"What! How can you wield that sword? It belongs to the royal house of Venus, the defenders of the Moon!" Adonis raged. "You are not worthy of it!"

"Minako thought so," he whispered, awe filling him. "And apparently the sword thinks so, too. I wouldn't have drawn it, otherwise."

A smile crossed Mina's face as she watched the two men fight, knowing that Mal would do all he could to protect her.

* * *

Rini shoved at Derek's shoulder. "Get up, Coffee Breath!"

"Don't make fun of the coffee," he groaned. "Not your smartest comeback, Yam Head."

The lavender haired boy pushed himself up off the ground, looking over to where Serena and Darien both were sprawled. He shoved his hair back out of his eyes and crawled over to the ebony haired man.

"Come on, Darien! You've got to get up," he pleaded.

Rini nodded, hurrying to Serena's side. "Come on, Meatball Head! Please, get up!"

Pale blonde hair waved as the sailor scout of the moon rose, her blue eyes narrowed. Her hand stretched out, her gold rose wand dropping into it, as her white boots scraped against the ground.

"Quit calling me Meatball Head, Rini!"

The older scout looked over at the caped hero of Tokyo, as he lay, unmoving. She would deny, with all the fury she possessed, the worry that filled her eyes at that moment. With equal vehemence, she would refuse to acknowledge the relief that rushed through her as his hand clenched into a fist and he slowly rose to his feet.

_I can't let myself care,_ she reminded herself. _If he can't trust me, I can't let him get to me. I can't care about him until he proves he trusts me. Only then do we stand a chance, again._

Almost as if sensing her thoughts, he looked up at her. Even through his mask, she knew his eyes were locked on hers.

"How sickening!" A hooded figure appeared before them, a multi-colored crystal sphere cradled in his hands. "I am the Wiseman, also known as the Doom Phantom, and I will claim the Earth, and all that is left in this solar system, with the power of my Dark Crystal."

Derek drew himself up to his full height. "Not while we're here! You failed in Crystal Tokyo, and here it will be no different! I recognize you!"

"And you think the four of you have the power to stand against the power of my crystal?"

Tears filled Rini's eyes. "You're the one who hurt my mom! You're the reason she was put into the crystal coffin!"

"Without her Silver Crystal, Neo-Queen Serenity was no match for me," cackled the Doom Phantom. "Just like the four of you."

Serena squared her shoulders, holding her wand before her. Slowly, the gold petals of the rose faded away, until the Silver Crystal rose out of the wand. She cradled the crystal between her hands, allowing its power to transform her into Princess Serenity. The light flared from the crystal as she summoned all the power she could, directing it's might against the creature who called himself the Doom Phantom.

Unable to be held back any longer, the tears fell down Rini's face as she watched. "She's not strong enough!"

Serena was already trembling from the force of the power she wielded.

"I have to do it," muttered Derek, pulling the Silver Crystal of the future out of thin air.

He strode forward, until he stood beside Serena, lifting the second Silver Crystal into the air. His white tuxedo melted away into a white, silver, and gold version of Endymion's armor. Closing his eyes briefly, he focused his power on the crystal, until he and Serena were both rising into the air, slowly circling each other, bathing the area in the light from the two crystals.

"You fools," laughed the Doom Phantom. "Even the light from both of your crystals isn't enough to stop me, not with the extra power Adonis obtained for me!"

Eyes narrowed, Rini leapt forward, the future Golden Crystal materializing in her hands. She turned back, a questioning expression on her face as she looked up at Darien.

He nodded, pulling out his own Golden Crystal. Their power shimmered as they rose into the air beside Serena and Derek. Darien's tuxedo had faded away into his armor from the Silver Millennium, while Rini's uniform was replaced by a black and silver version of Serena's own dress.

"No, this isn't possible!"

Golden and silver light flared from the four crystals, shattering the power of the Doom Phantom.

* * *

"Neptune Deep Submerge!"

"Tidal World Submerge!"

Two blasts of aquamarine energy blasted Sapphire, sending the blue man flying backward.

"Duo Polar Freezing Blast!"

A sphere of bright blue light streaked away from the joined hands of Sailor Mercury and Tuxedo Sphinx.

Sailor Sphinx turned to Mercurian Knight, who nodded. The two of them drew deep breaths, before turning to face Sapphire.

A harp made of water materialized before Sailor Sphinx, her hands coming up to pluck at the strings. Mercurian Knight lifted his hands, his fingers flying over the icy keys of a translucent piano.

"Mercury Sphinx Frozen Rhapsody!"

Energy shot from the two magical instruments, freezing the younger prince of the Negamoon inside a block of ice.

Suddenly, a blast of energy, silver entwined with gold, swept over the group. The ice melted away from Sapphire, and a smile, full of pure joy, crossed his face, before he vanished, rippling like water in a pond.

* * *

Emerald pulled back her head, preparing for another strike against the group of scouts and knights at her feet. Sailor Gryphon spun around, pushing off the rocks with her good foot.

"Jupiter Supreme Thunder Clap!"

"Gryphon Star Whirlwind!"

"Silent Wall!"

"Shadow Darkness Surround!"

Sailor Jupiter and Tuxedo Gryphon dove out of the way, as Sailor Saturn blocked a stream of fiery breath from Emerald's mouth. Shadows leapt from Tuxedo Wyvern, pinning her to the ground.

Sailor Gryphon nodded at her twin, landing carefully beside him, while Sailor Neo-Saturn lifted her scythe.

"Blinding Glaive of Silence!"

"Jupiter Gryphon Thundering Whirlwind!"

From the hands of the warrior twins spun an enormous swirling wind, lightning crackling inside of the air. Their combined power struck Emerald at the same time as Sailor Neo-Saturn's.

Emerald screamed as the tiara on her head cracked under the power, and she was transformed back into herself.

She looked up at them, her eyes filled with hatred, just before she was swept away in a blast of gold and silver energy.

* * *

Sailor Mars tumbled away from the blade in Diamond's hand, only to find it blocked by the crossed blades held in Tuxedo Phoenix's hands. The blonde man bowed backward under the pressure the dark prince was exerting, but his eyes narrowed and he began to press backward.

"Mars Celestial Fire Surround!"

The fiery blast sent Diamond flying backward, into what remained of a wall.

"Phoenix Sacred Feather Inferno!"

"Pluto Dead Scream!"

"Cerberus Soul Tremors!"

The three attacks slammed into the prince, who looked up, a sinister grin on his face. He stumbled forward.

"Is that really the best you can do?"

Martian Knight closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. _You know what we have to do, _Sasha's voice called to him. He nodded, once.

His hand came out to clasp hers briefly, before he pulled out the two spheres of the Sacred Flames. A ball of garnet and dark grey energy swirled between Sailor Cerberus's hands. Facing each other, they shoved the three orbs together, into a single mass.

"Deadly Nightmare Sacred Celestial Inferno Strike!"

Eyes closed, they launched the power at Diamond. The prince only had time to widen his eyes in astonishment before the attack hit him, and he collapsed to the ground, motionless.

No sooner had he hit the ground than the gold and silver light washed over them, and his body was gone.

* * *

Tuxedo Dragon knocked the sword away from Adonis's hands, flying out of the bleached blonde's reach.

"Dragon Earth Shatter!"

"Venus Love Me Chain Encircle!"

"Uranus World Shaking!"

"Breezing Deep Shaking!"

"Mini Venus Love and Beauty Shock!"

Five attacks swirled towards the former captain of the royal guard.

"For our father," whispered Sailor Dragon, pulling forth a sphere of orange energy.

Venusian Knight nodded, pulling forth his own power. "And for our future."

They merged the two spheres and flung it towards Adonis.

"Venus Dragon Beautiful Smash!"

The sixth attack quickly caught up with the others, slamming into the copper eyed man, who collapsed.

Silver light, chased by gold, swept over them, but Adonis did not vanish.

"I won't be so easily defeated as that," he laughed, rising back to his feet. "I have a power you will never be able to destroy!"

Darkness surrounded him, cloaking him in black armor, edged in bronze.

"I am no longer Adonis. I am your destroyer, Oblivion!"

Sailor Venus hurried over to stand beside Tuxedo Dragon, clasping both of her hands around one of his. He looked down at her, sorrow and love mingled in his eyes. A curse escaped Sailor Uranus, who quickly pulled out her Space Sword Blaster, knowing deep down that it's power would never be strong enough.

Cries of astonishment filled the air as the other scouts and knights arrived.

Sailor Neptune hurried to her partner's side, followed by Neo-Neptune. Others quickly gathered around, hoping to at least present a united front at the end.

"We don't have enough power left to stop him," whispered Sailor Crystal Crescent, hanging her head in despair.

Lunar Knight lowered his gaze, staring at the ground beneath his feet.

_You know what you have to do, _a voice whispered inside his mind. _Remember! You must remember, Derek Endymion Lunarae Terran! Hurry!_

He blinked. He knew that voice, but he couldn't place it. Closing his eyes, he opened his mind, focusing only on the voice.

* * *

"_Hello, your highness," giggled a girl's voice._

_She wasn't very old, only about four. Black hair tumbled loosely around her face, although part of it had been pulled back on both sides to fall in pigtails. Pale grey eyes, almost white, smiled up at the lavender haired boy._

"_What are you doing here? Are you a spirit?" The five year old demanded. He hadn't been in the Underworld long, and it still frightened him._

_A smile crossed her face as she shook her head. "No, not really. I'm here, just like you are. I'm Celeste."_

"_Who brought you?" Suspicion still colored his voice._

"_My guardian. She's still around here, somewhere."_

_She tilted her head, as if listening. "She's coming. I have to go."_

_The little girl turned, as if to run off. She paused, before hurrying back. Tilting her head, she placed a kiss on the young prince's cheek._

"_You have more power than you know. When dark times come, you'll find it. Good luck!"_

_* * *_

Midnight blue eyes opened, unfocused, as Lunar Knight reached again into himself for power. He bit back a grin as he felt his younger sister right beside him. Then, suddenly, she disappeared, as he fell past a shimmering silver barrier. He momentarily found himself alone in the light, before four familiar presences joined him.

"Mitch, J. J., Zane, Nick!" He spun around, looking at each of them in turn.

"And that's not all, your highness," called another voice.

Grace and Jordan came drifting up, with Hope trailing just behind.

Zane looked around. "What is this place? I've never seen anything like it."

"Impossible," breathed J. J. "We're really here! This is it! The source of all Lunar Power!"

Derek grinned. "Well, can we use it?"

His friend nodded. "Follow my lead, everyone. We've seen our mothers do it before. Now, we're going to channel all of this power into Derek."

"Neo-Mars Power!"

"Neo-Venus Power!"

"Neo-Jupiter Power!"

"Neo-Mercury Power!"

"Neo-Uranus Power!"

"Neo-Neptune Power!"

"Neo-Saturn Power!"

"Lunar Power!"

* * *

"Are you sure about this?" Rini demanded, looking around at the surrounding golden light.

Sasha nodded. "This is where all of our power comes from. At least, those of us who are Terran Scouts."

"Well then," declared Mora, "what are we waiting for?"

Nita and Sophie stared at the platinum haired girl. She was normally a voice of reason, for thinking things through, not rushing in.

"What? I can be rash, sometimes. I am my mother's daughter, as much as my father's." Mora shrugged.

The pink haired girl turned to them and smiled. "Let's go for it!"

"Neo-Dragon Power!"

"Neo-Gryphon Power!"

"Neo-Sphinx Power!"

"Neo-Cerberus Power!"

"Terran Power!"

* * *

The older scouts and knights stared in astonishment as first Derek, the Planetary Knights, and the Neo-Outers began glowing with a silver light, before Rini and the Terran Scouts were emitting a golden glow.

Slowly, Rini once more rose into the air, white wings emerging from her shoulder blades. Her black and silver dress fluttered as she once more lifted the Golden Crystal into the air, it's light brighter than even before facing the Doom Phantom. Derek wasn't far behind her, his white armor reflecting the increasing brightness of the Silver Crystal, his cape falling away to be replaced by his own pair of white wings.

"Terran Power!" Rini screamed, echoed by her scouts.

Derek's voice rang out next, with the chorus from his knights and the neo-outers. "Lunar Power!"

The gold and silver combined into a pure white light, blinding everyone.

When it finally faded and everyone's vision cleared, Adonis was nowhere to be found. Not even a trace of his armor could be seen.

Derek and Rini both drifted back to the ground, where they were caught by Tuxedo Dragon and Darien

The two men staggered briefly, more from being caught unaware than from any weight from the two children. Once the two were safely back on the ground, everyone's transformation faded.

"Would you look at this!" Serena's voice was filled with wonder.

* * *

Alright, peoples! The big battle in Vault of Souls is over! I'm planning on another part to this, but I'm going to be trying my hand at a couple of one-shots, first. I just want to know who you want to hear more about. Hence why I'm going to try to post my first poll. The question being, of course, who's going to star in it! I'm just going to take the top 8 characters for my cast, four canon characters and four non-canon (my other characters). Hopefully I can keep it to them. I'm going to keep the poll open until after I finish Vault of Souls, which only has two more chapters. That should give you enough time to vote, I hope! Also, Celeste won't be an option. I'm thinking she's going to stay a bit of a mystery for now.

And don't worry, I already figure Hayden, Carter, Jenna, and the mysterious new Celeste figure into the next part. Okay, I'll admit, even I didn't know Celeste was entering into this until I was writing the chapter! I'm not entirely sure where she came from, to be honest!


	18. Return to Crystal Tokyo

**Disclaimer:** I do NOT own Sailor Moon or any of the canon characters. Derek, Drake, and the others are merely figments that have escaped from my imagination.

Chapter Eighteen: Return to Crystal Tokyo

Darien turned his head at Serena's exclamation.

"Oh, my!" Amy whispered, her hands tightening on Zack's arm.

The ruins of the Moon Kingdom were gone, replaced by a restored palace.

"Just a second. Let me check this," muttered Zack, his computer already in his hands. "T.E.D.S., are you getting this?"

_**Indeed, Master Zoicite. I can readily assure you that it is no illusion. The Moon Kingdom Palace has indeed been restored. In fact, as far as my sensors can tell, Master Zoicite, the Palace exists as if the end of the Silver Millennium never occurred. No one is there, but all the rooms and furniture are exactly as they were that night.**_

Serena drew in a deep breath. "Everything is restored?"

_**Indeed, Princess Serenity.**_

The moon princess turned to stare up at the castle, longing in her eyes.

Suddenly, the crystals carried by the children from the future burst into light. Several ghostly figures emerged and surrounded the group.

Gaia and Serenity stood directly in front of Darien and Serena, with Aphrodite, Eros, and Psyche to Serenity's right, and Persephone standing to Gaia's left. The rest of the souls, with the exception of Ares, filled out the rest of the circle.

"It is not yet time for you to return here, Princess Serenity," stated Hermes, bowing slightly. "You will know when that time comes."

Iris nodded. "At least the castle will be ready for your return."

"We know you are all exhausted," stated Gaia, looking around at the teenagers from both times. "We shall make sure you all arrive home safely."

Serenity smiled. "At least to your homes in this time."

The thirteen souls stretched out and clasped hands, simultaneously calling out. "Soul Teleport!"

A blinding light surrounded the group.

* * *

Serena groaned and rolled over on her queen-sized bed. She bolted upright. Her bed? But they had just been on the moon, after fighting Adonis!

Leaping up, she dashed out of the large bedroom, decorated in white, silver, pink and gold. She slid to a stop beside a pale pink door, creaking it open to see Rini, sleeping in her bed against the far wall. Tiptoeing through the explosion of pink and red that served as Rini's décor, she sank down on the edge of the bed, smoothing the hair away from Rini's face.

The younger girl let out a small moan and turned away from Serena, shifting in her sleep.

"Figured you'd come in here, right away." Amara stood in the doorway, Michelle beside her. "All five Tuxedo Knights are accounted for in their rooms, and Trista's back, too."

"She sent us up to check on you. We've been up for about a half-hour now. It looks like we got back a couple of hours after we left," explained Michelle.

Serena nodded and rose, tiptoeing back out of the room. "What time is it now?"

"Almost seven. I've already called Rini in to school. She won't be in any shape to go today."

The Moon Princess agreed with her cousin's statement. "After school, why don't we call the others? The kids will have to head back to the future, soon, and a picnic would be a great way to say goodbye. We can plan it for Sunday."

"Sunday would be good. No one has school, and it's only two days away." Michelle agreed.

* * *

Sunday morning, Lita woke to a knocking on her door.

The brown-haired scout yawned as she pulled on her tattered flannel robe and looked out the peep-hole of her apartment. A smile crossed her face when she saw Nick and Nita, both carrying shopping bags, on the other side.

"We brought everything we should need," Nick explained, once she let them in. "Between the three of us and Dad, we can pull all the food for the picnic."

Nita nodded. "Nick said you wanted us to make our Triple Threat, and we need a kitchen to use. I hope you don't mind us coming here to use yours."

"Not at all. I'll let the two of you work on that while I whip up some things for lunch." Lita swept back into her room as she spoke.

The twins turned to each other and grinned. This was going to be a picnic to remember.

* * *

"So, you plan on leaving right after the picnic?" Darien asked, noting the stuffed backpack resting on Derek's bed.

He nodded. "And then Aaron can have my room, rather than sleeping on the couch."

"I'm just going to have to get a bigger apartment," remarked Darien. "I'm sure you'll find a way to come back and visit."

"I'll try. I make no promises, though." The lavender-haired boy grinned up at him. "It'll depend on Trista and Sasha. They're the ones who guard the Time Gate."

Aaron peered around the corner. "You said I'm getting your room?"

The two princes laughed at the look on the youngest general's face.

* * *

"Wow! That really was the best cheesecake I've ever had!" Raye declared, leaning back against Jason. "I bet you get asked to make that all the time."

Nita nodded. "But we insist it only gets saved for special occasions."

"Birthdays, anniversaries, festivals." Mora counted out, holding up a finger for each occasion. "And occasionally just because."

"Yeah, and there's always two on twin birthdays," added Derek, before taking the last bite of his cake.

"Well, before you all leave, we have gifts for you," stated Serena. "I know we could give them to you when you get back to Crystal Tokyo, but I felt they'd have more meaning if you got them now."

She handed a small package to Derek. "Since I didn't get to spend a lot of time with my future son."

The future prince slid the package open, revealing a book. On the cover was a silver moon, with gold roses entwined around it. He opened the book, slowly, finding it filled with blank pages.

"It's a journal, that I hope you can fill with good memories to share with me, one day," she said, smiling.

He nodded.

Rini looked up as a package was slid into her hands, from Darien.

She squealed, tearing off the paper to find a stuffed bunny, with white wings and holding a gold rose.

"Thank you, Darien! It's perfect!"

Zane grinned at the thick mathematical text Amy had given him, while Sophie was already scanning through the table of contents of her equally thick science text. Amara handed a small box to both Grace and Jordan, with instructions not to open it until they arrived in Crystal Tokyo. Michelle smiled as she handed each of them a small painting, one of Grace standing with Caelus and the other of Jordan and Poseidon. Hope graciously accepted a small music box from Hotaru and a pair of dark sunglasses from Aaron, who grinned.

"I hear the future's much brighter than here," he joked, sliding them over her eyes.

Nate handed each of his future children a cookbook, filled with recipes he had created, himself, while Lita placed a coral rose necklace around Nita's neck and a matching watch on Nick's wrist. Mina wrapped each of her three future children in a tight hug, as all three of them were already dressed in her present, clothes from the 20th century. Mitch tapped his own sunglasses in place, a gift from his father, the matching pair resting on top of Mora's head. Addie grinned when she opened her present, a small silver dagger, with a pale orange bow wrapped around the hilt.

Mal carefully untied the orange bow, before placing it in Addie's hair, in the same place her older sister and future mother wore theirs.

"It's almost an identical match to Mora's, so be careful not to get them mixed up." Mal warned her. "And the dagger matches the one from the Silver Millennium that Mitch carries."

She nodded, holding the blade carefully.

J. J. looked nervously over at his future parents. Jason grinned, before handing him a skateboard, to which Raye replied by handing him a red helmet. The dark-haired boy laughed and quickly strapped the helmet on, holding the skateboard in his hands. Trista stepped forward, handing Sasha a pair of black earrings, the same as the red ones she wore, herself. Accepting her gift from her future mother, she turned to her future father. He opened a box and presented her with a black choker, from which dangled a small silver skull. She turned, sliding her hair out of the way so he could place it around her neck.

Derek turned back to Darien, knowing his future father had a gift for him yet. Darien nodded, pulling out a photo album.

"They're all pictures from your time here. I figured you'd like to take them with you."

The lavender-haired boy nodded, holding the album close.

"Rini, I have one more gift for you," stated Serena, kneeling before her future daughter. "I hope you like it."

She pulled out a small stuffed dog, shaped like a Golden Retriever, with a small sun dangling from it's pale pink collar.

"It's Sola!" Rini exclaimed with a giggle. "Thanks, Serena. You know how much I've missed her."

Serena nodded, tears filling her eyes as Rini threw her arms around her.

"Good-bye, Meatball Head. I'll be seeing you soon, though it'll be a long time before you see me again," whispered Rini. "I'll be safe, though, and you know absolutely that you'll see me again."

Tears fell onto Rini's shoulder before Serena released her, standing up and joining her Outer Scouts.

The pink-haired girl joined Derek, Mitch, and Sasha, who all lifted up Time Keys.

"Time Keys, take us home!" Sasha yelled.

Clouds of pale pink, lavender, pale orange, and pale grey surrounded the group from the future, and they vanished.

Serena turned and strode away, followed slowly by the Outer Scouts and the Tuxedo Knights.

* * *

**Crystal Tokyo**

Rini and Derek led the way down the hillside, towards the group waiting at the entrance to Crystal Tokyo.

Neo-Queen Serenity and King Endymion knelt, embracing their children.

"You looked so different with black hair instead of lavender, Dad," joked Derek. "What happened?"

King Endymion laughed. "A side effect of creating Crystal Tokyo, I'm afraid."

Minako descended upon her three children, weeping as she hugged them. "I've missed you so much."

"Missed you too, Mama," cried Addie, clinging to her mother.

Mora and Mitch looked over at their father, their eyes wet.

"You two did very well," stated Malachite, striding over to them. "I'm very proud of you two."

They both flung themselves at him, letting the tears break free. Mitch looked up in shock after feeling something wet hit his head. His father, the one they called Stick-in-the-Mud, was crying, too!

Zane and Sophie immediately engaged their parents in a scientific discussion of what had happened and how, trying to form hypotheses about how they could have traveled back in time. Nick and Nita had already grabbed Nephrite and Makoto, dragging them off towards the palace kitchens. Jordan and Grace had walked over to Amara and Michelle, where they had opened Amara's gifts, revealing two necklaces, with silver crescent moons, embedded with both yellow crystals and aquamarine ones.

"It's a tradition of the royal family of the Moon," explained Amara, as she fastened Grace's necklace. "Serenity, Minako, Small Lady, and I all wear them. Now you two have yours, as well. And, one day, Mora and Addie will get theirs, too."

Hope ran over to her parents and the small boy clinging to them.

"Carter, I'm back!" Hope laughed, flinging her arms around him. "Did you miss me, twin brother?"

Sasha slowly strode over to her parents and her older brother. "Hello. I hope I didn't mess up too badly by taking them back in time."

"You did exactly what you were supposed to do, Sasha Setsuna Persephone," declared her mother, hugging her. "I couldn't be more proud of you."

Her father nodded. "Welcome home, Sailor Cerberus."

"So, Terran Scout, huh? Suits you a lot better than Neo-Outer," joked Hayden.

"As if you didn't already know, Plutonian Knight," growled Sasha. "I should change you back into being a Neo-Knight!"

Rei and Jedite stepped forward, looking down at J. J., skateboard still in hand and helmet still on his head.

"Dad," choked out J. J., throwing himself at his father.

Jedite caught him tightly. "Thank you, Jacob Jedite. Thank you. Welcome home."

"Hey, Fire Head!"

J. J. turned at the exclamation.

Jenna came running at him, her bright blue eyes blazing.

"Next time you go take a little trip to the past, I get to come too!" A pout settled on her face. "It's not fair you got to go without me."

Rei knelt next to her daughter. "But what you did was every bit as important as being able to go to the past."

"But I wanted to meet Great-Grandpa!" Jenna whined.

* * *

Alright, only one more chapter to go. One more chapter and Vault of Souls is completed. Once that chapter gets posted, the poll will closed. Considering the spree I've been on, getting four chapters up within two days (three in one day! Wow!), I'd say you have less than twenty-four hours to vote for my one-shot. That may actually get written before I get started on part three of the trilogy. Still needs a name. Well, thinking about that. See you soon, with the final chapter of Vault of Souls!


	19. Things Change Again

**Disclaimer:** I do NOT own Sailor Moon or any of the canon characters. Derek, Drake, and the others are merely figments that have escaped from my imagination.

**Author's Note: **This is set during the Sailor Moon R break-up, when Darien is having the nightmares and breaks up with Serena. However, I have decided to make Rini a little older. She's now about ten years old, instead of four, just because of the plot line. Also, the other scouts are older, as everyone is now in high school except Hotaru. But, hey, this is AU. Also, when I refer to the five divisions of Terra, I refer to them by their direction from Elysian, thus North and South America, being to the East of Elysian, are the Eastern Division, Africa and the Middle East are the Western Division. Europe, Russia, Greenland, and Iceland are all the Northern Division, while Australia, Antarctica, and the Pacific Islands are the Southern Division. The rest of Asia would be Elysian. Galaxis High School is my creation, here. Its sort-of replacing the school Hotaru, Michelle, and Amara attended during the Heartsnatchers episodes, but since that isn't happening, I gave them a new school. (Too I can't remember the name!) This would be the school that Serena, Jason, Zack, Amara, and Michelle are attending.

Chapter Nineteen: Things Change Again

"Welcome to Juuban, ladies." Miss Haruna smiled as she waved the two girls into the classroom. "Students, you have two new classmates joining you, now."

Hotaru looked up from her homework, to see the two girls walk into the room.

The first had long black hair, falling past her knees, with a white bow holding back part of it at the very top of her head, much the same way she'd seen Mina wear her hair. She turned back to help the other girl into the room. Her own black hair had to be at least as long as Serena's, with part of it pulled back in two pigtails, trailing down from her own white bow. Sunglasses covered her eyes and she handed a small slip of paper to Miss Haruna.

"Well, girls, I suppose you'll have to sit at the desks behind Hotaru Tomoe, but first, will you introduce yourselves to the class?"

The first girl smiled. "Hey, everyone! I'm Eva Havenstar. My sister and I just moved here from a small little town you probably haven't even heard of, so I won't bore you too much with it!"

_A Mina clone, from what Serena tells me_, thought Hotaru, listening to Eva's hyper introduction.

"Hello. I am Celeste Havenstar, Eva's twin sister," stated the girl with the sunglasses, her voice soft. "It is a pleasure to be here. I hope attending Juuban will be a wonderful experience."

"Miss Tomoe, will you stand up so the two Miss Havenstars can find their seats?" Miss Haruna asked, turning to write on the board.

Hotaru gave a shy smile as she stood. Eva grinned as she grabbed Celeste's hand and led her to the two desks directly behind Hotaru.

* * *

"Missing Cupcake Hair?" Jason demanded, dropping down onto the bench beside Serena.

The blonde girl nodded. "I know, I complained about how I couldn't stand her, and she was always being a pain, but, still."

"Hey, she is your future daughter, isn't she? So at least you know where she gets it from," he joked. "Once you and Darien get back together, as you obviously will."

"He has to learn to trust me, first," she snapped.

"Are you sure it's the two of them?" Amara demanded, coming up behind Serena and Jason.

The two blondes turned, confused. The older blonde was looking at Michelle. The aqua-haired girl looked concerned, biting her bottom lip.

"I think so. There's just something about those two that seems off."

"What's going on?" Zack demanded, joining them.

Amara sighed. "There's two new girls in our class, and Michelle says there's something strange about them."

"They're sitting over under the trees, if you want to see them," replied Michelle. "Maybe you can get something, Serena, Jason."

The three younger teens turned and stared under the small grouping of trees. Two eighteen year old girls stood, leaning back against the trees. One had long black hair, falling to her knees, and she kept glaring over at Amara and Michelle. The other stared up at the clouds. Her hair, so pale it couldn't be called anything other than white, also fell to her knees. They were too far away for any of them to get a good look. However, Serena's face paled.

"Serena?" Amara demanded.

She shook her head. "I know them. It's strange but I could swear that I've met them before. And Michelle's right, there's definitely something off about them."

"There's a darkness around them. Not quite Negaverse dark, but almost," added Jason. "I'd advise steering as clear of them as possible."

* * *

"Hey, Darien, how's it going?" Drake demanded, catching up with the ebon-haired man.

He turned and smiled. "Pretty good. You coming down to the Crown?"

"Meeting Mal and Nate there, actually. Trista still has class," he answered. "So, did you see the new freshmen?"

A frown crossed Darien's face as he nodded. "The Nomad twins? Why do you ask?"

"There's something odd about them," he stated. "Something very dark has settled around them. It got darker whenever they saw Trista, Mal, Nate, or I. But I've never seen anyone's aura get as dark as it did whenever they saw you. Be careful around them, Darien. I don't trust them. The sooner Serena decides to release us, the better. The five of us are stronger when we draw our power through you."

"And you can't convince her to release you?" Darien asked.

Drake sighed. "As I've explained…"

He didn't get any farther than that before a golden blur flew into Darien, knocking him to the ground. Darien looked up into the face of a Golden Retriever, with wide, golden brown eyes. He slid away from it, only to be knocked over by a second, almost identical dog, only a shade or two darker than the first.

"Sola! Apollo! Heel!" A woman's voice called out, her high heels clattering on the sidewalk as she came running up to them.

Reddish brown hair flew out behind her. Her long brown coat, worn over a sensible brown sweater and dress slacks, billowed out as she ran. Behind her trailed a man, just a few inches taller than her, dressed in a similar fashion. Brown hair, barely tinted with red, waved down to his shoulders.

"Apollo! Sola!" The man shook his head, grabbing onto the leashes that the dogs wore. "My apologies. I thought I had a tight grip on the leashes, but apparently my grip wasn't tight enough."

"Obviously," grunted Darien, struggling to his feet, against the hyper dogs.

"Salem, Sara, I didn't realize you'd made it to Tokyo already," stated Drake, turning to them.

Darien paused, looking at the two humans again. "You two! You were watching Rini after her Heart Crystal got taken!"

"Indeed, we were." Sara nodded. "I still don't understand how you got there, or why she stabilized better in your arms, but we were grateful, none the less."

Drake laughed. "How do you think he got there?"

"You took me!" Darien shook his head, chuckling. "I'm not surprised I didn't recognize you, seeing you without that hooded cloak of yours. How did you know I could help Rini?"

"You're the Prince of Terra, who's magic lies in healing. I knew you could help. Knowing now that she's your future daughter, it makes more sense that you could help her better than anyone else. And knowing her real power comes from Terra, as well."

Salem lifted one eyebrow as he stared at Drake. "Care to explain?"

"Why don't we grab Mal and Nate and head up to Moon Mansion? We'll explain everything to your satisfaction, Salem. I'll see you tomorrow, Darien."

Drake waved as he took the leashes, dragging the two dogs towards the Crown.

* * *

"Hey, Raye," called Jason, sliding closed the door to the Fire Room. "Mind if I join you?"

The raven-haired girl turned to look at him. "Today's your day off, Jason."

"I know. Something's bothering me. I've tried meditating back home, but I can't get anything clear enough. I was hoping, the two of us together might be able to get something."

She nodded, patting the floor beside her. He knelt, taking one of her hands in his.

"By the way, thanks for calling me Jason."

He smiled at her, his blue eyes glimmering. She blushed, looking down at the floor.

"After meeting J. J., and learning who he is, I obviously give you a chance. Just don't go ruining things this time," she stated, turning to meet his gaze. "I don't think I could survive it again."

"I won't let anything come between us, Dark Flame," he whispered, bending his head so their foreheads touched. "Not even a tyrannical father."

Raye smiled. "Good, because sooner or later, you're going to have to meet one, again."

"Perfect." He laughed, before turning back to face the Fire.

They both closed their eyes, opening themselves to the power the flames held.

_Buildings lay in ruins around them. Bodies littered the ground, including the bodies of their friends._

_Five figures, cloaked in black, stood, surveying the damage, with a sixth figure, hovering in the air behind them. The Sailor Scouts, both Inner and Outer, the Tuxedo Knights, Tuxedo Mask, Sailor Crystal Crescent, and Tuxedo Wyvern, ran into battle, only to be struck down by the five figures in black. The hovering sixth shadowed figure let out a high-pitched cackle._

Raye jerked herself away from the flames, turning to bury her head in Jason's chest.

"No, it can't happen," she sobbed.

Jason nodded, his face resting in her hair. "Forewarned means we'll be prepared. We won't let it happen, Dark Flame. I promise."

"I trust you, my Phoenix," she whispered.

* * *

Okay, so it's not really a conclusion to Vault of Souls. A real cliffhanger here, huh? Well, look out, part three is coming. And, it now has a title! Warriors of the Stars. Yes, it will make sense, eventually. And, as of the posting of this chapter, the poll is closed. I hope to get the one-shot up first, though, before the first chapter for Warriors of the Stars. See you soon!


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